By Jaci Gorrell | Echo
Recent changes in DC management have prompted a reevaluation of necessary leadership positions. Whereas the DC and Campus Center were formerly overseen by the Dining Services Director, this job is no longer feasible for a single position. Dave Seweryn, Creative Dining Services operations director, said the addition of the Campus Center food responsibilities last year has stretched the Dining Services Director position too thin.
In order to maximize leadership and efficiency, Taylor has decided to divide the position into a Dining Services Director and Assistant Director. The Dining Services Director will oversee the Campus Center and join forces with Skip Trudeau in order to get involved with student life. The Assistant Director will focus primarily on the DC.
Seweryn will serve as Interim Dining Services Director and mentor the new director when he or she joins the campus this spring. Becky Wright will serve as Assistant Dining Services Director. The two are teaming up to shape the DC to better accommodate students.
Wright of Hicksville, OH was hired to serve as the Assistant Dining Services Director. She comes to Taylor with over 30years of experience in campus dining services. Wright will oversee the DC and TU concessions, as well as the overall student dining experience.
Seweryn believes Wright provides a catalyst for stable leadership: "When there's great leadership in place, things start to flourish."
Wright has been on campus for just over a month but says she feels she has been a part of the Taylor family for a long time. She hopes to translate her passion for food into enthusiasm in the DC.
"I get excited about food because I live food," Wright said. "That's where I'm creative; that's where I do my work."
Seweryn and Wright have worked with the help of student surveys and feedback to introduce student-driven changes in the DC. Adjusted dinner hours, simplified dishes at the Interaction station, display plates at the top of the steps and efforts to create faster lines are just a few of the adjustments prompted by students.
Freshman Jazmin Tuscani believes the changes have led to greater connections in the DC. While browsing the display plates at the top of the stairs, she said she has bonded with others who have similar food interests.
According to Seweryn, it is difficult to tell what we can expect in the DC's future. "For someone to sit here and say 'Vegan tacos are going to be the thing next year' is throwing darts blindfolded. So we watch and listen," he said.
For now, to make the DC a better place, Wright asks students to provide feedback with comment cards. She said, "What do you miss from home? What are you looking for? What can we do to help serve you better? Interact with us."
