USC hasn’t had a quarterback like sophomore Caleb Williams in years. 

Williams is the best dual-threat player the Trojans have had under center since Sam Darnold, who simply wasn’t as elusive as Williams. Williams has a knack for keeping plays alive whenever it seems like there’s no shot. 

Through five games, he’s been one of the best quarterbacks in the country with 12 touchdowns, 1,402 passing yards and one interception — which took him five games to throw. He’s the heart of USC’s bustling offense, the captain of the ship, the (insert whatever leadership cliche you’d like) of the Trojans’ 5-0 start.

So, why even after he bounced back from his first poor game against Oregon State were questions still asked about Williams’ play? 

Look, he was terrible against the Beavers, throwing for 160 yards on 16-for-36 completions. He looked timid, inaccurate and flat-out shook playing in that rowdy environment. Head Coach Lincoln Riley had a valid explanation for Williams’ play. 

“It was just one of those nights…it’s like a pitcher in baseball. Sometimes you don’t have your best stuff,” said Riley early last week.

To make matters worse, Williams was made available to the media during the week, but didn’t actually talk to them, a bad sign for a player coming off his worst game of the season. One could say he was dodging questions. 

Riley defended his quarterback though saying Williams “had a couple of things going on, so didn’t do [media].” Williams said the same. 

“I had a few things that came up during the week, so I just had to skip it and go forth,” said Williams in a post-game press conference Saturday. “Now, I’m here.”

And here he was, shushing the doubters with an efficient 348-yard, 3 touchdown performance for the win against Arizona State. But, here some were continuing to wonder if Williams would be ready for tougher opponents such as Washington State and Utah. 

Are we forgetting who this quarterback is? Have we spoiled ourselves already? With all due respect, do we remember last season’s play between Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart?

Those two were doomed from the start of the season and now are excelling at their respective programs. But, they aren’t on the same level as Williams and that’s not a problem — most of the country isn’t. 

Just look at how Williams’ teammates describe him.

Redshirt senior running back Travis Dye on Williams’ ability to escape sacks: “At this point, I think it’s black magic. I don’t know. I go off and do my job looks like he’s about to be sacked and all of a sudden, he’s out of it and we have a 20-yard gain.”

Redshirt senior tight end Malcolm Epps said: “Can’t nobody mess with 1-3 for real… with him at the helm we can win the whole thing.” 

Junior wide receiver Brenden Rice said: “Caleb is a dog.” Rice went as far as to say he thought the quarterback “excelled” against Oregon State.

The players around him the most have the utmost confidence in Williams, and that’s all we need to know. No more doubts. No more wondering and thinking if big games will impact Williams’s play. 

Sure, he’s only started 12 games in his young college football career, but nothing has happened to be remotely concerned about his performances. He’s the best quarterback in the conference. 

When was the last time someone could say that about one at USC?

There hasn’t been a player like Williams under center for the Trojans in recent memory — let’s start appreciating it.

The post Anthony on LA: Stop doubting Caleb Williams appeared first on Daily Trojan.

On Sept. 16, Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman, died in a hospital in Tehran, Iran. She was hospitalized due to severe injuries sustained after being arrested by the morality police for not properly wearing her hijab. 

Amini’s death sparked countrywide protests and led to the burning of hijabs, women cutting their hair short and the country of Iran shutting off internet access. For family and friends abroad, that loss of internet access is devastating. 

“I was heartbroken,” said Parnian Shahbazian, a communication studies student at Colorado State University. “I was devastated to see something this brutal happen to a girl who could have been me (or) any of my friends or relatives back home.”

Shahbazian hasn’t been able to speak with her family since they lost internet access. Like many of her peers, this and Amini’s death led her to speak at a table set up to raise awareness in CSU’s Lory Student Center Plaza last week.

“I, like many other Iranians, want a better country and want a more free, civilized place to live in,” Shahbazian said. “That’s just one of the many reasons why we think that raising awareness about what is happening is important.” 

Shahbazian and other speakers at the table said many of their American peers were unaware of the events in Iran and often have several misconceptions about Iran. From mixing up Iran and Iraq to believing all Iranians are Arabic, the group felt it was important to speak to community members themselves. 

Wanting to bring attention to their country and possibly alleviate some of the pain they are feeling in the community, the Iranian stand was in The Plaza from Sept. 26-30. 

“We don’t feel well,” said Mojtaba Harati, a civil engineering Ph.D. student and research assistant at CSU. “Because we don’t have any kind of communication to our country. I don’t have any chance to talk with my mom and my dad, sister, friends and all of these people.”

There’s incredible stress in losing communication with friends and family. As the protests continue in Iran, Iranians who are abroad have felt the guilt of not being there and the stress of not knowing how their family members are doing, said Mahsa Roointan, a volunteer at the CSU Women and Gender Advocacy Center. 

“Silence is what dictatorship wants to continue.” – Myde Tarem, speaker on The Plaza 

“We can’t really sleep; I don’t think any of us have slept in the past two weeks,” Roointan said. “We’re just checking the internet the whole time because maybe there’s something new, and I have to know it immediately.” 

The Plaza tablers hoped to encourage the CSU community to reach out to their government officials to put pressure on the Iranian government, Roointan and Harati said.

“Silence is what dictatorship wants to continue,” said Myde Tarem, one of the speakers on The Plaza. “And the more people get informed — all around the world, the more people talk about it, especially governments, but also regular people — … they feel pressure. They feel like they must stop.” 

Not all actions from the U.S. are created equal. Roointan said the sanctions put on Iran often hurt average citizens more than the government, as government officials have access to more resources and can take money from the people to support their lifestyles. The Plaza tablers hope the table will encourage more conversation and different forms of action against the Iranian government.

The group also emailed CSU Interim President Rick Miranda asking that more attention be brought to the issue considering how much of the community it affects and what the Iranian community may face if the international community doesn’t intervene. 

The email mainly focused on the riot police crackdown at the Sharif University of Technology that led to the beating and unconfirmed killing of Iranians. The email said Iranian CSU community members fear for their families and are under a great amount of stress. 

The email closed by saying, “We urge the Colorado State University to strongly condemn the Iranian regime’s attack on the university campuses and students and announce it loudly through all university channels, as was the case in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and gross human rights violations. We also ask for full support of Iranian students at CSU in this critical condition and endorsing it to all colleges and departments.”

These students have been cut off from a major source of support that many CSU students can rely on: their families. 

“I haven’t had contact with my family for like two weeks,” said Hamidreza Ghafouri, Iranian graduate student and teaching assistant in the department of construction management. “It’s really sad. It’s a really very important period in my life now because I need to decide my future, … and I can’t talk to my family to talk about this stuff.” 

Young people are being killed in Iran for protesting, several human rights violations are taking place and many Iranians want to see these things come to an end. According to the email, Iranians are fighting for “women, life and freedom.” 

The group on campus is pushing for government action on the U.S. side, starting with asking the CSU community to support them.

“The Iranian government is a dictatorship that cannot think it can negotiate with the west,” Tarem said. 

“When it is about Iran, nobody cares,” Ghafouri said. “I don’t know the reason, but it’s really sad for us.”

Reach Ivy Secrest at life@collegian.com or on Twitter @IvySecrest.

Boston University Student Government heard cabinet updates and endorsed the Boston University Graduate Student Union in a meeting Monday night.

After their Sun Belt opening victory last weekend, the Old Dominion football team was back at home with a matchup against a familiar Commonwealth foe: Liberty University. The Monarchs came into the weekend with a 2-2 (1-0 Sun Belt) record as the Flames arrived in Norfolk with a 3-1 record. As an independent school, the Liberty squad’s only loss came against 19th-ranked Wake Forrest when the Flames failed the two-point conversion to defeat the Demon Deacons. It was ODU’s third Commonwealth clash so far this season.

Coming into Saturday evening, it was up in question how the weather would pan out for both teams after Norfolk was hit by the remnants of Hurricane Ian on Friday, but it turned into a perfectly clear, cool evening under the lights. The Monarchs received the opening kickoff, but their opening drive stalled short after sophomore quarterback Hayden Wolff threw an interception on third down. Junior tight end Zack Kuntz went down early on and did not return to the action. Liberty took advantage of their opportunity on the first play of the drive and struck a long 34-yard one-handed snag that had S.B. Ballard in awe. The reception was spectacular enough to be featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays at the #1 position. 

Both teams wound up with punts on the next few possessions in the first until Liberty found the endzone again with a 41-yard pass down the middle that gave the Flames a 14-0 advantage. On the ensuing drive, Wolff and the Monarchs’ offense were able to establish a good drive. After a holding call that put the ODU offense back, junior running back Blake Watson found a hole and scrambled downfield for 30 yards to the Flames’ 35-yard line. Wolff found his target in freshman wide receiver Peter Kikwata for 23-yards. On the next play, Wolff rushed the ball 8-yards into the endzone to put ODU on the board. 

The Monarch defense began to find its stride as they got an interception on the ensuing Liberty possession, which put ODU in great field position. The first big play of the Monarchs’ drive came with a 24-yard reception from wide receiver Ali Jennings III that got ODU in the red zone. Later in the drive, Wolff and Jennings connected again for a 4-yard touchdown that brought the game within one. The first quarter came to a close with the game tied at 14. After giving up 14 unanswered points, the Flames drove back down the field and scored another touchdown with a 29-yard rush down the middle of the field to make it 21-14 Liberty. 

ODU would not relent and began their next drive down the field. Wolff caught another big reception through the air, but this time from sophomore wide receiver Javon Harvey that went for 27-yards. After the reception, the Monarchs’ offense could not convert on their next set of downs and a 34-yard field goal from freshman kicker Ethan Sanchez made the score 21-17. Throughout the rest of the first half, the score remained the same and Liberty held the advantage at the break. 

The Flames opened the second half with possession, but that didn’t count for much since they were forced to punt. On the other side of the ball, the Monarchs’ offense was also not able to make anything happen and gave the ball right back to Liberty. Taking a few more minutes off of the third quarter, the Flames extended their lead to 24-17 after a successful 49-yard field goal. 

On the next ODU offensive possession, Wolff opened the drive with a 10-yard scramble that moved the chains. Watson earned seven more yards on the first down before Wolff found him for 21-yards through the air to move the ball into Flames’ territory. ODU continued to pound the run game as they inched closer to the endzone. On second down inside the Liberty red zone, Wolff turned to his right and found Watson for the reception, which then turned into a scramble to the pylon for a touchdown that tied things back up at 24. Before the end of the third quarter, the Flames continued to excel on the offensive side and scored another touchdown to regain a 31-24 advantage.

Once the game reached the fourth quarter, the ODU offense lost its touch and the penalties began to pile up. With 12 minutes left in the fourth, the Flames went back to work on offense and drove the ball down the field with precious minutes going by. The Liberty passing game continued to thrive as they converted a 25-yard reception and a 41-yard reception, which was also the third passing touchdown of the evening. With under seven minutes to go in the contest, the Flames led ODU 38-24. There was a bit of a late surge from the ODU offense, but Liberty killed all hopes of a comeback with a forced fumble recovery on Wolff. The score remained the same for the rest of the evening and Old Dominion fell 38-24. 

ODU shot itself in the foot on various occasions, but the team never quit fighting. Wolff finished the evening having completed 27 of 46 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns. The ODU offense, which has struggled for much of the season, had a season-high of 419 yards. They also had a good night on the ground, with 118 yards against Liberty.  The Monarchs finished the evening with 14 total penalties that resulted in 120 yards; a painful stat to see. Through the air, Jennings III finished the game with eight receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Watson finished with 80 yards on 18 carries with an average of 5.3 yards a play. 

In the post-game press conference, head coach Ricky Rahne shared his thoughts on the penalties throughout the evening and how close the team is to taking the next leap. “What I saw is that we did not use enough techniques and fundamentals and we put ourselves in a position to get penalties called,” Rahne stated. “We’re right there. We know nothing magical is going to happen. We’ve just got to keep working.”

The Monarchs drop to 2-3 (1-0 Sun Belt) on the season and end their non-conference schedule as they look ahead to Sun Belt action the rest of the way. ODU will be on a bye week next weekend before traveling down to Conway, S.C. to play against Coastal Carolina on Oct. 15. The next time Old Dominion will play in Norfolk will be  Oct. 22, when they will host Georgia Southern for homecoming week. 

“We Are Working All the Time!” marks the first time that work from the breadth of multimedia artist Piotr Szyhalski’s career has been displayed. The exhibition includes poster designs, web projects, mail art, paintings, installations and public performances. Additionally, Szyhalski will be present at WAM for in-person “office hours” on select Fridays throughout the exhibition’s run. During these sessions, which are a nod to his role as a professor of design and media at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Szyhalski may be found performing, working or simply conversing with guests.

Born and trained in Poland, Szyhalski’s career as a multimedia artist has spanned the last few decades. He’s produced a wide range of work that includes posters, digital art, large installations, sound art and public performances.
How does one condense thirty years’ worth of work across varied mediums into a singular, cohesive exhibit? For senior curator Diane Mullin and Szyhalski, it took a fair amount of time to piece together the works before arriving at what Mullin believes to be a “powerful selection.”

The exhibition has been carefully woven together based on proximity as opposed to a chronological timeline of Szyhalski’s work. He said he hopes that presenting the work in this manner will allow for the career-spanning themes to emerge more clearly. For example, Szyhalski’s work includes a multi-decade examination of the complexities of human agency and labor.

“I often try to be very mindful of how each new project relates to the previous work that I’ve done, and part of it is me thinking that all of it really is kind of one work anyway,” Szyhalski said. “I can point to something that I’ve done 15 years ago, and something that I’ve done last year, and there would be a very direct line that I can draw between certain aspects of those two projects, even if they’re executed in very different media.”

Noteworthy aspects of the exhibit include Szyhalski’s daily pandemic chronicles — the “COVID-19: Labor Camp Report” — which garnered attention from major outlets like the New York Times in 2020. Others include his performance videos, particularly with Minneapolis-based choreographer Pramila Vasudevan.

“As soon as you walk in, you can’t take your eyes off the walls,” said Jacqueline Zaviska, a student at Northland Community & Technical College. After visiting the exhibit with a friend, Zaviska described having felt a sense of validation from the works included — particularly when it came to Szyhalski’s depictions of the pandemic and labor.

“Logically, I know I’m not the only person in the United States that detests the idea of working till I die, but I rarely see people talking about it, so I felt very seen,” Zaviska said. “I think it’s absolutely something people should see.”
According to Mullin, the shared hope for what visitors may take away from “We Are Working All the Time!” is a renowned sense of attention to the world around them.

“In general, I think the idea of paying attention is a fundamental skill for the artist. And when I say paying attention, I mean to everything… that happens around you, to your immediate context, to a larger extended context of your family or your community, [to] the socio-political context, historical context..,” Szyhalski shared. “We have to understand where we are in relation to all of those things.”

“We Are Working All the Time” will run until Dec. 31.

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

Local transgender rights activists and students expressed a mix of hope and anxiety after a state district judge blocked the state’s investigations into parents of transgender youth.

State District Judge Amy Meachum ruled that families could not be investigated for pursuing gender-affirming care for their children, provided that they are active members of the LGBTQ advocacy group PFLAG.

Kaitie Tolman, American Sign Language interpreting junior and president of the campus LGBTQ organization GLOBAL, said that while this is progress in a positive direction, she worries that not enough people are aware of the exception for it to have a serious impact.

“You can have the cure for cancer, but if nobody knows you have it, that doesn’t do anything,” Tolman said. 

Tolman, who is bisexual and genderfluid, was impacted by the initial directive and briefly went back into the closet out of fear her father might lose his job. While the issue is of great personal importance for her, she also fears that the ruling is not balanced enough.

“It’s great that you have this program that can help people opt out of unfair allegations,” Tolman said. “But I worry parents actually abusing their children could join PFLAG and take advantage of it. There has to be a balance.”

Other students felt that the ruling was making progress but that more needed to be done. 

“The state is stepping closer to the right direction, but this doesn’t go far enough to protect trans kids,” said UH film freshman Alejandro Covo. “A child’s mental health is extremely important, and to be told that they shouldn’t exist and their parents will be arrested is going to cause trauma.”

The debate over transgender youth has grown intense in recent months, with protests over all-ages drag shows in Houston attracting large crowds and even turning violent at points. For parents of transgender youth, the atmosphere can be downright terrifying.

“All of this is about keeping power and control,” said local parent and founder of Parents of Trans Youth, Mandy Giles. “The kids are just pawns. They’re just trying to be themselves and instead, they’re being used by grown-ups for these games.”

While some advocates viewed the recent ruling as a hopeful step forward, it was recently appealed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, leaving the issue unsettled. However, some, like law professor Thomas Oldham, believe it is likely to reach a close soon. 

“It seems to me that these directives represent a substantial intrusion on family autonomy that is likely unconstitutional,” Oldham said. “I find it hard to believe that any court would decide that such parental choices presented an imminent risk of harm to the child.”

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Parents, students express concern over future of trans rights” was originally posted on The Cougar

The University of Utah Asia Campus has been seeing a sharp increase in students transitioning to the Salt Lake Campus as social distancing regulations begin to loosen worldwide.

UAC is a global branch of the U located in South Korea that primarily focuses on providing students with the opportunity to earn an American university degree while attending school in South Korea. To increase global communication between the two campuses, UAC requires its students to attend a minimum of two semesters at the main Salt Lake Campus.

The transition program between UAC and the Salt Lake Campus took a hard hit as the COVID-19 pandemic brought an abrupt halt to international travel for nearly two years. Only three students made the transition to the U during the Fall 2020 semester as most universities went fully online.

Over the past semester, UAC has begun to slowly revive its transition program as a record total of 82 students made the transition to the U for the Fall 2022 Semester, according to Anna Yacovone, the UAC International Programs Coordinator.

“The very first two to three semesters with COVID, it felt like a ghost town,” Yacovone said. “We definitely had students on campus, and we were still lucky that we were able to do programming in person. But it still just doesn’t meet that in-person experience, where you really take the time to physically be in the presence of others.

“Right now, my observation has been, I just see more social interactions with students. I think that there’s just more opportunities for them to bump into each other and really connect, and as you can tell by the numbers, there have just been so many more students transitioning.”

Many UAC students currently attending the U express the ups and downs of moving halfway across the world to come in contact with various new experiences as well as culture shock at the Salt Lake Campus.

“I think academically, coming here to the Salt Lake Campus is not as difficult as you’d imagine it to be,” said Rachel Yoon, a UAC junior. “There are more benefits to it rather than difficulties because the professors and lectures aren’t that different, so you can still understand everything as you did at UAC.”

Yoon said the hard part has to do with adjusting to American culture, making friends and “being a minority for the first time in your life.”

Yeseo Ahn, a UAC sophomore, said the Salt Lake Campus is different from the Asia Campus because of the larger size and increase of students.

“There are definitely a lot more opportunities as well, for example, here I can do a lot of internships with international companies and I can meet a variety of students from all over the world,” Ahn said. “I can also experience U.S. culture and that seems to be the biggest difference between UAC and here.”

As more and more students prepare for their transition to the U, UAC gears its students up for the cross-continental journey through mandatory orientation programs, Q&A sessions with UAC students currently attending the U, detailed canvas courses and even pen pal activities with students at the Salt Lake Campus.

“I think it’s very normal for students to be nervous,” Yacovone said, elaborating on the struggles and anxieties UAC students may experience in regards to the transition process.

“Especially with a lot of our students, they have high uncertainty avoidance,” she said. “So they want everything planned and mapped out, step by step, minute to minute when they go to another country.

“I would just encourage students to learn to lean into the discomfort, and just start practicing emotional agility. Culture shock is so normal, it’s so part of the process and it’s also proof that you’re stretching and growing. Lean into the discomfort, learn to explore yourself emotionally, and use your fear as a gas pedal, not a brake.”

c.joung@dailyutahchronicle.com

@caroline_joung

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi – the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society – is currently accepting applications for its Graduate Research Grant and Dissertation Fellowship Award. Introduced in 2018 as a pilot program, the Graduate Research Grant will provide up to $1,500 to 20 eligible members who are enrolled […]

Senior Azul Pedemonti and junior Blanca Cortijo Parreno are two of the longest-tenured Cougars on the UH tennis roster and have fully embraced the diverse environment brought upon them by the makeup of the team. | Courtesy of UH athletics.

The UH tennis roster currently features 10 athletes from 10 different countries, providing a unique team makeup for head coach Helena Besovic.

As a person who came to the United States from another country herself, Besovic said working with such a diverse unit is a unique experience and is something that not many coaches have the opportunity to do.

“It feels very special, and it’s a very unique place because not everyone gets to experience being around people from so many different countries and cultures,” Besovic said. “I think we’re lucky and as a coach, it’s amazing to work with student-athletes from all over the world. I learn so much from them.”

Besovic believes that it is important to give international students the opportunity, especially in women’s sports and makes it a point of emphasis when she is bringing players into the program.

“I like bringing players that bring more diversity to the team,” Besovic said. “I think it is something important, especially in female sports, giving chances to those players of different backgrounds.”

Veteran players such as senior Azul Pedemonti and junior Blanca Cortijo Parreno feel this diversity not only brings them together as a team but welcomes new players as many of them understand what it takes to leave family behind to join the program.

“It’s like another small family away from our family. With everyone being international teammates, we are all new here and we are experiencing everything together as a family,” Parreno said.

“We all support each other a lot because we experience these same things. That’s the best part; we understand what we are all going through” Pedemonti added.

A cornerstone in helping these players adapt to their new homes away from their families is none other than Besovic, as she herself was once in their shoes.

Besovic, originally from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, came to the U.S in 2003 to attend Ouachita Baptist College before transferring to TCU in 2004.

With a team of players in a similar situation to the one she had when she first came to the U.S, Besovic gets an opportunity to provide players with the support she said she would have wanted back then for herself.

“I understand from my own experience that they are far from home and far from their parents and families, so it’s not easy,” Besovic said. “It’s very important to give them that support and be there when they need it, as I would have liked when I was in their position. I try to be a second mother to them.”

As players find themselves searching for that support, they look right to Besovic for help every step of the way and Besovic delivers.

“She serves as our second mother,” Parreno says. “She has experienced all of these new things so she’s here helping us. When we need something, she’s the one that is here for us to ask.”

“I feel that (Besovic) knows and understands what we are going through too, and I love that,” Pedemonti added. “I love that she has the empathy to say, ‘I know what it is like.” She plays an amazing role because at the end of the day she is our first emergency contact.”

This bond between the players that are shared with Besovic brings the team together not only in their off-court daily lives.

“We help each other because we try to understand the position of everyone, and when it comes to actually being on the court, we try to keep that same mentality and mindset for everyone,” Pedemonti said.

“It is definitely something that sets us apart and makes us stronger,” Besovic added.

Besovic believes that open-mindedness is the key to the team’s success and is why they are able to mesh so easily even when the players are all from different backgrounds.

“I think the players … come with an open mind to accept different cultures and backgrounds, and I see them excited about it,” Besovic said. “They know that they will be on the team and meet players all around the world, so it’s important to bring these players who are open-minded.”

Besovic believes there is a lesson to be learned for the world behind this.

“Being able to come together and realize that even coming from different backgrounds and different countries, we still have a common goal and can work together,” Besovic added. “I think it’s a great lesson to the world and everyone in it to see that it’s possible.”

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“‘It’s a very unique place’: How UH tennis prioritizes diversity” was originally posted on The Cougar

The Food Advisory Committee at Emory (FACE) met for the first time since November 2019 in the Emory Student Center multipurpose rooms on Sept. 29. During the event, Emory University Campus Dining staff answered students’ questions about their food services.

FACE is a student organization that holds forums about Emory’s dining options. Campus Dining staff are currently trying to increase student involvement in FACE, since all those who used to serve on the committee graduated. The recent event, which was open to all students, was hosted by staff to “revive” the types of discussions that FACE hosted before COVID-19, according to Dining Program Associate Director Mark Seals. 

Students get food from the buffet during the Sept. 29 FACE meeting. (Lily Freeman/Contributing Writer)

Roughly 20 students stayed for the Campus Dining staff’s forum, although many others trickled in and out during the event to get sliders, chips, cookies and other bites from the buffet. 

“Traditionally, we would have a lot more people, considering that it’s free food,” Seals told the students at the beginning of the event. 

After encouragement from Seals and other Campus Dining staff, students shared their questions and feedback about Emory’s food services. 

On three separate occasions, students asked staff members what the University’s dining facilities are doing to combat food waste.

Seals explained that the dining staff recently piloted a “community fridge” in the Alumni Memorial University Center, so those in need of food can have leftovers from the Dobbs Common Table (DCT). Dining staff try to refill the fridge at least three times per week, Seals said. 

He also noted that student organizations like Emory Food Chain help distribute leftovers and make sure dining workers properly package food waste. 

“We do realize that the majority of our food waste does come from the all-you-can-eat dining area, and we do want to maximize on that waste,” Seals said. “Hopefully we will get all of the waste that we can, as far as the DCT is concerned, and we will help those in need.”

DCT General Manager Tarun Kapoor added that Campus Dining workers have strategies to minimize leftovers.

“They are trained in a way to portion you particular pounds of protein, starch and veggies,” Kapoor said.

A third-year resident advisor brought up their residents’ comments that the DCT did not have enough food late at night. The residents had indicated that they were unable to find sufficient offerings as early as 7:00 p.m., despite the DCT closing at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, the student said.

Bon Appétit Management Company Resident District Manager Michelle Reuter said that dining staff have previously received that feedback. She noted that after 8:15 p.m., the DCT enters a “late-night” stage and serves fewer offerings. 

Nonetheless, staff will take students’ concerns into account, Kapoor said. He noted that DCT workers try to manage influxes of students into the cafeteria by “being at the door” and communicating on walkie-talkies.

“Our goal every day, every time, during every meal service is to make sure that there is adequate food available,” Kapoor said. “It’s very valid feedback and we’ll make sure that we do everything in our capacity to make sure that your feedback is positive.”

Sliders sit in the buffet line during the FACE meeting. (Lily Freeman/Contributing Writer)

Another student asked how Campus Dining ensures that their staff receive fair compensation and work in adequate conditions. 

Reuter said that Campus Dining complies with Emory’s wage requirements — their starting rate of pay is $16 an hour — and that workers can also get MARTA passes or campus parking. She added that every staff member who works a four-hour shift gets a free meal from Campus Dining.

“I’ve always said, ‘If you go home hungry, there’s a problem,’” Reuter said. “Our team is never told ‘no’ as far as if they’re hungry.” 

Campus Dining staff also discussed the impending opening of a Costa Coffee location at the Goizueta Business School.

After a student asked why the store hadn’t opened yet, Jordan Higgs, the store’s operations manager, responded that staff were waiting to schedule a fire inspection and a health inspection. Employees aim to open the coffee shop the week of Oct. 3, Higgs said. 

“We need to make sure that that space is safe and secure for everyone who will enter,” Seals said. “When you have a new concept coming in, there’s a bunch of steps you have to follow, so we’re doing that diligently and making sure that we are able to open and close the doors.”

Students also noted that they felt the DCT was lacking in fruit and vegan desserts, which Campus Dining staff said they would take into account.

At the end of the meeting, Campus Dining staff thanked students for coming and added that they plan to host another forum in about a month.

Anya Hung (26C), who stayed for the end of the event, said she enjoyed listening to the conversations between students and Campus Dining staff.

“I didn’t know this event was happening in the first place, and I didn’t know what to expect,” Hung said. “But when I saw the people being so open to answering the questions of students and wanting to hear feedback, it made me realize that the school or the dining hall was really trying to do something to improve.”

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