Otterbein University Student Government addresses dining issues in town hall meeting

Parkhurst Dining discusses making food more affordable and opening up communication with students

By Will Day | Published 11/08/2019 7:37pm

Otterbein University Student Government (OUSG) held a meeting with a panel of Parkhurst Dining representatives to discuss students' concerns with the new food service provider.

Topics ranged from food options for those with dietary restrictions to communication between the dining staff and the campus. 

The issue of communication was the main topic of the conversation as multiple students voiced concerns that food options and specifications were difficult to find or simply not available. 

For junior sociology major Emma Shannon, the need for proper labeling of food is more than a preference, but a matter of safety; “I can’t have gluten or dairy, I’m allergic. They have a gluten-free fridge, but not even everything is there. I have to special order everything I eat, yet I have to pay the same amount as a student who doesn’t have to special order anything,” said Shannon. 

For students like Shannon, the lack of proper labeling and food options comes at a heavy cost financially since students who live on-campus are required to pay for a meal plan. 

General manager of Parkhurst Dining, Shannon Weimerskirch, wanted to assure students that progress is being made on these issues.  

Concern about the lack of options and the time it takes for food to come out at OtterDen, known as "The Den," was brought up as multiple students voiced a need for food on the go. For Weimerskirch, OtterDen held major issues in both the financing of full-time staff and what could be reasonably accomplished in its given location.  

Weimerskirch said, “To be honest, we didn’t understand The Den.”  

The need for swipes to be used at earlier times at OtterDen was a topic that Weimerskirch told students would be the main issue discussed over winter break. 

Head Chef James Ackers told students that, once a full-time staff is in place with chefs available for both the Cardinal's Nest and the OtterDen, “you’ll really start to see ownership of the space being taken care of.” 

Weimerskirch also spoke on several of the issues that Parkhurst had to tackle since joining Otterbein, including creating a full-time staff. Parkhurst didn’t fully understand the need for food between lunch and dinner.  

While Weimerskirch and the Parkhurst panel promised that new training would be happening on a regular basis, freshman undecided student Timmy Wotring says that this training has yet to happen. 

“So, my experience starting was that I was trained by a fellow employee, not a supervisor or boss, and only on what to do. These meeting[s] they are starting to have, they’ve never told us when they are, and as a part-time employee, I’m not sure if they will bother to tell me,” said Wotring. 

The town hall ended with the need for both campus and Parkhurst staff to find a preferred method of communication so students know the hours of operations and what can be expected on the menu. 

From an OUSG perspective, president Casey Rife has been pleased with the improvements done so far, but noted that streamlined communication, whether in person, on-line, through the FoodU app, or email takes time to perfect.