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Last year, one student on campus was approached by the General Manager of Gonzaga University Dining Services, Charles Wesley. Wesley urged that student to apply to be part of a national board of students put together by Sodexo to "keep abreast with student trends."
Alvin Ma started as the chair of the food committee through the Residence Hall Association. His involvement in University campus dining has springboarded him to the national level as one of 25 students from all over the country on the Sodexo Student Board of Directors.
"The Student Board of Directors serves as a go-between of the students and the people who have legitimate power to change things," Ma said. "Everything Sodexo does they try to run by the student board."
Ma's responsibilities as part of the board consist of attending conferences, participating on a specialized committee, and teleconference calls at least once a month with his fellow ambassadors. Ma has been to two conferences, one in Nashville, Tenn., and one in Seattle. The next conference, planned for fall, will be in Hawaii.
"Through Alvin, the views of Gonzaga students are taken to the national level and implemented across the country," Wesley said.
The bulk of the work for the students is done at the conferences. Students attend a "food trend expo" where they sample products from companies such as General Mills and The Schwann Food Co. They then use a computerized system to vote for their top picks from the expo. The top 20 items these students vote on become menu items for the following school year.
In addition to voting on food items, the students are divided into five committees that target specific areas of the dining experience. Ma is part of what is called the "INSight Team." His team's objective is to look at data and research and draw out trends about students' dining habits. The SBD tries to come up with promotions to increase the aesthetic appeal of the cafeterias.
"They use us to generate ideas and then decide what they like," Ma said. "At the end of the day what we suggest and what happens can be completely different."
What is it like for Ma to be thrown into decision making with 24 strangers?
"It's initially terrifying to sit down with strangers and try to accomplish goals. It's like the first day of college again."
Still, Ma said he has met a lot of fun people through the SBD. He has connected with kids who knew Emily Duyck, the former student rep from Gonzaga. Duyck was also nominated to the board after her involvement with the RHA food committee.
The food committee is used as the local focus group for feedback on the dining services, Wesley said. They have tried to emulate a relationship with the students through the food committee similar to what the SBD does nationally.
If students have suggestions for Sodexo on campus, they should go to the local level of the food committee Ma said. But the bigger changes, such as monthly specials, are set by the SBD.
Although Ma cannot remember the gritty details of the food items he voted for in Seattle at the last conference, he did share that students will continue to see efforts working toward sustainability.
Gonzaga has had student representatives since 2005 when Wesley came to Gonzaga.
"We all have something unique to offer Sodexo in what they're looking for in a student board," Ma said.
At his alma mater, the University of Vermont, Wesley was a student worker for Sodexo and later on a manager. The founder of SBD, Dan Dunne, worked with Wesley at Vermont.
"When I got out of college my experience in food service served me well as a career," Wesley said.
A change Wesley sees coming with the help of the SBD is increased communication with students through mediums such as texting and Facebook.
With Ma successfully representing Gonzaga, the student position will not be open again until spring 2010. All students are welcome to apply, with the new representative being notified in June 2010.
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