Marshall Magazine Summer 2022

“ There are certainly a lot of dining options for a university Marshall ’ s size . It ’ s a great mix of national and local brands .”

is best for them. iCen ter director Dr. Ben Eng helped facilitate the pro cess. “We experimented with several versions and improved each until stu dents loved it,” Eng said. “The meal plan picker will launch in the fall.” M a r s h a l l i s n ’ t Hogwarts. Food doesn’t just appear on tables. It takes a special recipe of full- and part-time em ployees to make culinary magic. Sodexo USA has been a contractor for the university for 34 years. It handles all campus food

the team had received gold status — not an easy feat considering the com plexities of the Simple Servings program to keep students safe. “That’s unheard of,” Arnold said. Next up, they will apply to be rec ognized by FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education Corp.), the go-to resource for families navigating food allergies. Food s e r v i c e a t Mar sha l l ’s level can leave an enormous en vironmental footprint. The teamworks with the

— General Manager Mark Arnold Marshall Dining by Sodexo

service and employs 150 people — one-quarter of them are students. Beyond daily meal service, those employees do all the big events like Week of Welcome picnics, athlet ics concessions and catering for meetings, banquets and conferences. Although that sounds like a lot of cooks in the kitchen, everyone has a specific mission, such as strategizing how to make it through a global pandemic while safely serving students. Shortly after a $5 million renovation of the Memorial Student Center that created refreshed space for on-the go options, the global pandemic struck. Yet food service to students never faltered, even during the lockdown. A rudimentary online ordering system served those remain ing on campus. As the pandemic evolved and students returned, the system got a little flashier, and despite out side forces like supply chain and labor issues, the team remained committed to variety and safety. “We never reduced quality,” Madson asserted. Feeding the Herd well is one thing. Keeping mealtime safe for those with food sensitivities and life-threatening allergies is another. Arnold personally meets with those students. They learn about Simple Servings, a special food station in Harless Dining Hall that offers options prepared without eight of the top-known food allergens. Marshall Dining’s efforts in this area have not gone un noticed. Last fall Marshall was awarded bronze status by Sodexo’s internal auditing team. By the spring of 2022,

Marshall Sustainability Department to promote initiatives like trayless dining to save water, energy and waste, and the “skip the straw” campaign to reduce single-use plastic. The university also has partnerships with local farmers for food and composting. Coming soon, Marshall’s waste digester will turn all pre- and post-consumer food waste into compost, eliminating tons of garbage and materials from going to a landfill. Sustainability is also about communities. During the pandemic, unused food nearing expiration was donated to the Huntington Fire Department. During normal busi ness, excess catered food is wrapped, frozen and picked up by volunteers for those facing food insecurity. Leftovers are appreciated by families at the Huntington Ronald McDonald House. Recently, Marshall was awarded a $1,000 grant from Sodexo for its food pantry. “That’s one of the things that makes Marshall special,” said Arnold, who has been at the university for roughly a year. “Whether you work here, are a student here or are a Huntington resident, you just feel like part of this larger community. It’s amazing. It just makes you want to do more good deeds.”

Lalena Price is a freelance writer living in Kenna, West Virginia. She earned her B.A. in journalism and her Executive M.B.A. from Marshall University.

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