Week 8

This week was one of the busiest yet!

On Monday I worked on preparations for my Microwave Madness event. Made a poster with a ton of information about microwave cooking as well as began gathering up all the supplies I would need on Wednesday.
Tuesday I went over to the elusive Headington Dining and met with manager Curtis Gregoire. He explained what the dining hall is all about and how it differs from Couch. It mainly caters to athletic students- so most of the recipes used there are healthier versions of popular foods. They keep a close eye on fat, sugar and calories, but not salt since athletes are basically sweating that out (which is different from Couch as they don't salt anything). The only sweets that Headington offers are cookies (no Sweet Shop). It's a really nice dining hall and the food is delicious!! Afterwards, Curtis had me help with prepping items for lunch service. The staff was very nice and welcoming to me! Too bad I only had one day there, everyone was so great!
Wednesday was Microwave Madness! It was an event held in the social lounge of Walker Tower for a few hours at the end of the day. Students learned how to cook safely with their microwaves (the only cooking equipment in their rooms). We also provided a free dinner of enchiladas, Mexican rice, nonalcoholic Sangria, and donated cheesecake from La Baguette. I'd say it was quite the success as we ran out of enchiladas by the end :).
Thursday and Friday I worked at Couch! Thursday morning I went straight to the bake shop and was in charge of baking a million cookies. OK- it was probably only a few thousand but still. I literally baked from 8am-2pm, just cookie tray after tray. I don't think I will ever forget that a cookie take 12 minutes to bake at 325 F. I didn't ruin a single one, and only got one burn on myself towards the end (I'm now branded so I've joined the club I like to think). I then went to the weekly managers meeting where a vendor was visiting and we taste tested new products- not sure if I'm allowed to say what they were.. Anyway, after that I went and checked out the Tasty Tweets event. This was yet another HFS event that this time showcased products from our own operations like Crossroads and Flying Cow. It's hard to say which food was my favorite, but I really liked the pancakes from Oliver's- they were blueberry pancakes with a lemon cream cheese topping YUM. Friday morning I worked at 6am at Couch and helped make sandwiches for the boxed lunches at Saturday's football game. I think we made over 1000 sandwiches but the crew is so efficient that we finished in a couple hours. Then I started helping in the assembly line of boxed lunches (I was in charge of apples)- but after about fifteen minutes Chef Gary pulled me out and sent me to the stock room to learn how inventory is done. The supervisor there, Christian, walked me through the whole system and then gave me a blank sheet so that I could audit them for one section. He tried to leave me in the dairy fridge but I told him I would freeze so he mercifully let me do inventory on dry goods. It was easy using their system and I passed. Then I met with Marcia Musser, the assistant manager, and we spoke for about an hour or so about how Couch is run and the projects that she works on. Thanks to everyone for spending time with me and answering all my questions!! I then met with Robert Weaver and we had lunch at Headington and then headed over to the west side suites at the stadium to set up the buffet tables and suites.

Another awesome week. AND NEXT WEEK IS MY LAST ONE. How did that creep up so quickly??

Week 7

This week was another event in the rock garden- the Look Local fair. Most of the week I spent prepping for this and assisting Ms. Dot wherever possible. The event showcased all of the local vendors that OU purchases products from. As you can probably guess, there was a ton of free food! And we even had giant pumpkins delivered for students to decorate and take home. The vegan zucchini muffins that I made last week were a hit and so were the "zoodles"- noodles made of zucchini and squash that were lightly sauteed and then tossed with a vegan pesto. Everything went wonderfully :). Afterwards, I was supposed to help with a Presidential dinner, but by the time I arrived, most of the set-up had already been done and the managers let me go since they had enough staff to help cater (which was awesome, because I was pretty tired from working at the fair all day).

Friday I started first thing at the Great Reading Room in the library- there was a luncheon at noon for visiting high school principals and counselors. I helped with set-up, service and break-down after the event. It was fun finally being able to see the entire process from beginning to end (since usually I only do two out of the three parts). It was a beautiful location and I learned that all of the books lining the shelves are actually theses written by former students. A very cool room and I can see why students would want to study there (also it looks very Harry Potteresque). I'm including a picture of it below!

Week 6

This week was another busy one mainly because of the 11 AM football game.

On Monday I worked on projects that I've been putting off for the internship (no worries, I'm caught up now).
Tuesday I went back to Crossroads and met with Mr. Baker in hopes that I could do my Performance Improvement Project with him. We discussed areas of Crossroads that he felt could use improvement, and together brainstormed how we could make the team even stronger. We came up with some pretty good ideas, and I'm excited to see them in action.
Wednesday was more office work but Dot gave me a fun project- I had to go to Couch and test out a recipe for the Look Local fair coming up next week. Thanks to everyone who helped me find the ingredients I needed as well as supplies!! I made vegan chocolate zucchini muffins. Yes, I got some questionable looks when I told people what I was making. But guess what? They were SO good! And healthy- for 9 muffins I only used 1/4 cup of agave nectar for the sugar component. Luckily a bunch of managers were on their lunch break at Couch so I had them try the muffins and the consensus was that they were delicious! Success.
Thursday I met with Shawn Henry, Director of Retail Operations, who kindly took time out of her day to tell me all about her job. It was really interesting learning how the retail operations differ from Couch. It was also fun to learn the future plans for OU when it comes to what retail operations may come.. or go. Thursday was also my in-service presentation at the weekly manager meeting! I taught about wellness, speaking about 14 tips to live healthier (mainly diet tips). I hope everyone enjoyed the presentation and learned a few new things!
Friday I spent at Couch prepping food for the game. I cracked over 500 eggs- all one-handed thanks to Chef Brock showing me the proper technique. I'm now a professional egg cracker. After that, Chef Brock set me up with a ton of raw alligator tail to chop up.. this took the rest of the day. Thank goodness Amberly came over to help me chop otherwise I would've been working on that gator into the night. And also shout-out to the Couch crew again for helping me find stuff and sharpening my knives and just in general making me feel very welcome!
Saturday was game day!! Spoiler- we won!! This game was at 11 AM though, which meant I had to be at work at 4 AM. This wasn't a problem until about the 2nd quarter, where my lack of sleep finally caught up to me. It was a fun shift and I did most of the same things I did at the last game- prep and bake pizzas, prep pretzels, slice over 40 pies, and just help wherever needed.

Another successful week!!

Week 5

We're passed the halfway point! Only four weeks left for me at OU!

Most of this week I spent working on projects, specifically my in-service presentation that I will present at next weeks meeting. It's coming along nicely but there's still some details I haven't figured out yet.

On Wednesday I spoke with Kevin Barker, Director of Business Operations about his role in the Housing and Food Services department. Mr. Barker was very helpful and answered any and all questions that I threw his way (as I am continually working on my Management Review report). It was interesting learning how a budget is created for such a large operation, as well as all the factors that must be considered. And in the end, it is still just a very, very educated guess.

Thursday was the Environmental Information Fair which was organized by Ms. Dot. The fair was in the rock garden, and we provided information to students about where their food comes from and definitions for common phrases that they may have heard but not completely understood. For instance, we explained the differences between things being labeled "organic", "natural", or "non-GMO". The best part of the fair was that the free food samples that we provided of all organic, vegan and allergy free food! It was SO good! There was a white bean 3-layer vegan dip, sweet potato hummus, Mexican brownies, and a delicious Earth Bowl salad with roasted corn, broccoli and candied pepitas.

As mentioned, the rest of the time I worked on assignments for my internship. Next week will be busier as we have another home game on Saturday!

Week 4

Apologies for the delayed post, but this week was very busy!

Let's start from the beginning- On Monday I tested my recipe for the Microwave Madness event at the end of the month. I made vegetarian bean and cheese enchiladas with added veggies, and they were a huge success! I asked some managers here at the office to try them and they were (I think) pleasantly surprised with the flavors.

Tuesday through Thursday I worked at Crossroads with manager Gary Baker. The first day, Mr. Baker taught me practically everything about his job. We talked for over 5 hours and he showed me all of the different aspects of his job. Needless to say, my brain was mush by the time I left that day. There was so much to process but I learned SO much and am very thankful he took a whole day to do that for me. Wednesday I worked as expediter in the restaurant. It was a busy day and the lunch rush was intense, but the day flew by and it was great having some hands-on food service experience. The whole crew was very welcoming and helpful, as well as fun to work with. I hope that I was able to help them by being expediter as much as they helped me! Thursday I was at Crossroads only 5 hours, as I had to go to help with the President's dinner with catering. Mr. Baker taught me the various programs he uses as a manager and gave me a brief overview of each of them. Then, as he was finishing up explaining CBORD to me, the power went out! For those of you that have not been to Crossroads, it is located on the 2nd floor of the Student Union which is underground. Everything went pitch black but Mr. Baker and his crew had emergency procedures in place for just this kind of event. His crew grabbed flashlights and began taking food down to the basement fridges and freezers in order to save as much as they could and not waste it. Shortly after this happened, I had to leave and assist with setting up the President's Dinner. I stayed through the dinner and worked with Robert Weaver as a server before calling it a day!

This Saturday was the first football game of the season and I worked with Danna in the 2nd floor of the suites in the kitchen/pantry. It was a a wild day! I worked 10 hours, which I was sort of dreading, but wow did it fly by! It was hectic and the energy was high, but everyone told me that it's just the first game jitters. I had a lot of fun making pizzas with Chef Steve as well as running supplies to the buffets and 4th floor. And OU won 41-3!! It was an awesome day and I can't wait til the next game! (Except for the fact that I have to be at work by 4am..)


Thank goodness it was Labor Day weekend so I could recharge before next week!

Week 3

Hey everyone!

Week 3 is over which means I'm already 1/3 of the way through this rotation. Time is flying by. 
This week I completed my Safety and Sanitation assignment while joining Kevin Barker on his assessment of a few of the restaurants in Couch Cafeteria. It was really great learning from Mr. Barker and seeing just how thorough his assessments are, down to the smallest detail which most people would overlook. During this time I also had the chance to meet a few of the managers and employees at the cafeteria so I hope I get to work with them soon.

This week I also had the chance to visit with Lauren and Amanda who are the Talent and Organizational Development team of HFS. I learned the jist about a lot of the things that they do, as well as got some much needed answers for parts of my Management Review report. Thanks ladies!

Office-wise, I worked on more reports and knocked out my Recipe Development report. I've decided on making vegetarian enchiladas for the Microwave Madness event next month! 

Next week I'll be working at Crossroads for three days and I'm not exactly sure what to expect, but I heard I'll be cooking some food so come by for lunch!!

Week 2

This week has been very busy! Monday and Thursday were both move-in days for all students. Just like last Wednesday, we had a table at the info fair with a ton of snacks. Thursday was the large move-in with about 2500 students! We were slammed most of the day and went through SO much food. I really though we would have a ton of leftovers, but we went through everything but some apples and oranges. 
Tuesday I had my first day at a restaurant on campus- Einstein Bros Bagels! I first met with the manager and she explained all of the different aspects of her job. I then worked in back of house prepping items like the parfaits, and then moved on to the front where I made some bagels as well as lattes. It was a little intimidating working with the coffee machine but luckily it was a slow morning!
On Friday there was a large luncheon on campus that needed some extra help, so Samantha and I joined the staff and helped where ever we could. We set the tables and got everything looking perfect before guests arrived. We didn't have to cater though since more staff showed up and the supervisors let us go. 

It was a busy week and I was pretty tired by the end, but I enjoyed all of it!

Week 1

Hi all! My name is Paulina and I'm Dot's intern for the next 8 weeks! I am originally from Poland, but moved to San Diego, CA when I was a kid. I went to San Diego State University where I earned my degree in Foods and Nutrition and then was accepted into OUHSC's dietetic internship program right after. I'll complete this program in February and then can sit for the exam- so I'll be a Registered Dietitian by March! I'm really excited to be here and I know I will have a very unique experience compared to other interns in my class who complete their rotations in hospital food service. Can't wait to see what I'll be doing!

In this first week alone I have learned so much- it's hard to keep track of it all. The first few days consisted of orientation and learning about the type of work I will be doing during my time here. It sounds like I'll be busy a majority of the time, which I'm really excited about! I'll be helping with a bunch of events and even football games, so it's going to be a crazy 9 weeks! I also met a lot of the staff here and everyone has been very welcoming and helpful. I was lucky enough to join Frank, the Director of Food Services, for a staff lunch at the UClub where I met supervisors from the various restaurants on campus. He was also nice enough to give me a tour of the campus, which I greatly appreciated since Monday was the first time I ever set foot here (this campus is HUGE!). Wednesday was move-in day for Panhellenic as well as room and board students. Dot, Amberly, and I had a table set up on the basketball court and we answered students questions throughout the day as well as gave out free snacks from our vendors. It was a long day but it was awesome being outside, meeting people, and talking about nutrition. Next week there are two more move-in days so we get to do it all again! The rest of the week I worked on projects and started brainstorming ideas for my recipe development assignment.

Almost forgot- I've been eating lunch with the girls at Couch and the food here is so good! I tried the double chocolate cheesecake today from the Sweet Shoppe and it was amazing. It's going to be a delicious 8 weeks here. And I should probably start working out..

All in all, this was an awesome week and it's only going to get better!

Week 9

During this week I have finished all the internship projects I had left. On Monday I basically worked on the performance improvement project and on Tuesday I finished the management review. On Wednesday I met with Nancy de Graff, the Director of Customer Relations. It was very interesting to talk to her. She explained to me what her job consists of. She also gave me a lot of information about meal plans and talked to me about the catering events during Football season in the fall among other things. She showed me very cool pictures! On Wednesday during lunch I had a fake customer to go to Shanghai and ask for food while mentioning she had a shellfish allergy. The staff did excellent! They changed their gloves, washed their hands, and gather all the ingredients from the refrigerator in the back. They followed all the steps written in the new policy and procedures. They were very friendly with the customer and made her feel safe. On Thursday I spent the day at Wagner. I really enjoyed learning about the different things being done there to reach athlete’s nutritional needs. Friday was my last day and I had my evaluation with Dot and got ready to move on to my next rotation.

My last week has flown by just like the other eight weeks! Thank you very much to everyone that is part of the wonderful team that is OU Food Services! I had a great time with all of you! Thank you.

Week 8

This week has been a lot of fun. On Monday I mostly worked on my performance improvement project in Shanghai at Couch. I was able to talk to Sharrie Sanders, the supervisor, and Stephanie Pryor, the allergy specialist. We did an assessment of the allergy policy and procedures and I was able to observe and talk to some of the staff. On Tuesday I went back to Shanghai and I continued to work on the project. I also worked on the employee in-service presentation scheduled for Thursday. Wednesday was the best day of the week because we had the Health Fair. It was a really busy day. We served some delicious vegan and gluten-free food, offered lots of healthier food and asked some nutrition-related questions and gave good gifts. I enjoyed talking and interacting to people. This is what I like the most about my rotation at OU Housing and Food Services. On Thursday I finished getting ready for my presentation which was on the afternoon at the managers meeting. I believe I did well for the most part and the attendees learned many things they did not know before about Registered Dietitians. I hope the information I provided will be helpful for them when they work with other interns. On Friday I finished the employee in-service report and I worked on my management review which is almost done.

I cannot believe I just have one week left. I think I will have enough time to finish my last two projects. Time is flying by! I am very thankful for how all the staff at OU Housing and Food is treating me. I really feel like home here!

Week 7

During the first two days of this week I have been working on my projects. On Monday I was able to finish the Sanitation, Safety, and Quality Inspection report. In addition, I worked in putting together the PowerPoint for the In-Service presentation for next week. Moreover, I worked on the management review. On Wednesday I helped on an event for green week that was going on at the South Oval where we served some of our local products. There were a lot of people and it was a lot of fun. On Thursday we had the Social Responsibility Fair at the Food Court outside the Student Union. There were a lot of vendors, and we even had a DJ playing music. We had food to serve including salads and vegan gluten-free pastries. Also, we had some fun games regarding sustainability and lots of gifts. On Friday I met with Kevin Barker and went over some questions I had for one of my class projects. He was extremely helpful.  On Friday evening I helped catering the Eve of Nations event.

This week has been a lot of fun. I really enjoyed going to the different events, being outside, and making people’s lives better by providing them with great food!

Week 6

This week I have been working in Couch Restaurants with Sam Ford most of the time. Monday was an exception because I worked with Chris Kaeser mostly at Starbucks but also at Bedrock. I enjoyed being at Starbucks. Chris taught me many things about the operation and his job. I really liked learning about taste pairings with coffee and pastries. I did not know it could make such a difference before. On Tuesday morning I went to Bookmark with Chris because we did not have time to go on Monday. I really liked that operation. We did not stay long because I had to go to Couch where I worked the rest of the week. During the rest of the week I had the great opportunity to be involved in many activities such as a sanitation assessment, job interviews, cooking and serving food with chef Billy, making caramel apples, participating in a barbecue sauce tasting, being in another managers meeting, and learning about the job of the managers at Couch. Sadly, on Thursday I was not feeling very well and when I got home I realized I had fever. On Friday I had to stay home and rest.  

I cannot believe I just have three weeks left at OU. I am enjoying this rotation very much and as I said before most of it is because of the work environment, everyone is very nice with me and I really appreciate it!

Week 5

Week 5 went by really fast and it was a short week for me because I did not come to work on Friday. On Monday and Tuesday I worked on my internship projects, specifically in my business plan event report and the In-service presentation. On Wednesday morning I was in Xcetera! with Georgia Leffler. She showed me the store and all the products they have. I had the chance to get to know some of the staff and students that work there and realize how busy this operation can be. On Wednesday afternoon I went to Einstein’s Bagels and met with Donna Dye. It was great to learn how this operation works and also Donna explained to me what her job as a manager consists of. Wednesday was a great day overall. On Thursday I worked on my internship projects again and as I said I did not come on Friday.

I cannot believe I am more than half way done with my rotation at OU Housing and Food. It is going really fast and this is because I enjoy it very much every day!

Week 4

This week has been very intense. On Monday I helped out with catering again. We were serving much less people than my first time and not everybody showed up to eat. Even though I get tired at the end of the day I really enjoy helping on these events. On Tuesday I went back to couch to make my Traditional Spanish Potato Salad for the event on Wednesday, but this time we made the vegan version. We took out the tuna and eggs and added black beans for protein. I thought it was a great version of the original recipe, I would even say I like it better. I also got ready for the business event on Wednesday. I prepared my presentation and started to get everything ready. On Wednesday I finished getting ready for the event which was held at Traditions East at 5:30 pm. I believe the event went really good. We didn't know how many people were going to show up due to the weather but at the end we had 17 people who came to eat and listen to the presentation. I really enjoyed talking to the students and letting them try a traditional recipe from my home country. After the presentation we realized about the tornadoes and hail that were going on and we had to stay and wait for the storm to go away. I ended up staying the night in Walker which I truly appreciated. On Thursday I met with Kevin Barker to do a sanitation assessment at Crossroads. I learned a lot from him and I was amazed on the great job they do there, especially considering the amount of food they serve 24 hours and the small place they have. In the afternoon I assisted to the managers meeting which was really interesting and I was officially introduced to everyone. On Friday I have a class day and I will not come to work.
I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Week 3

This week I have visited two different facilities on campus. On Monday and Tuesday I was at Cate. I met with Sharon Barker and worked with her team. They showed me how the facility works and I helped in anything they needed such as making sandwiches and helping with breakfast. On Wednesday and Thursday I was at Flying Cow. I met with Rhonda Winkelman who explained to me how the facility works and what her job as a manager consist of. It was very interesting to learn more about all the services that OU Housing and Food provides. Other than visiting these two sites, I also worked on some of my dietetic internship projects including the recipe development report and the business plan. 

This week was spring break and the campus was quite empty. I am ready for next week to be around people!

Week 2

This week has been very busy and interesting. On Monday I worked in a catering event at the Union for 12 hours straight. I helped setting up tables, plating the food, serving, among many other things. I have to admit that I slept like a baby after that! On Tuesday and Wednesday, Dot and I went to Couch to celebrate nutrition awareness and served the Korean food we served last week as well. Also, we talked to students about different nutrition topics such as benefits from eating different colors of vegetables and controlling portion sizes. Moreover, I started working on my recipe development which will be a Traditional Spanish Potato Salad. We made it at the couch' kitchen and tested it. Some staff tried it and it seemed most of them liked it so I was really excited because I understand different cultures like different foods. On Thursday and Friday I didn't come to work because all the OU interns were required to go to the OkAND Spring Convention. I really enjoyed the convention because I had the chance to listen to different speakers talking about various nutrition topics of great interest.

It has been two weeks working at OU Housing and Food and I have to say that I love it, specially because of the work environment. Everybody is kind and I have felt very welcomed. People is always ready to give a hand. Thank you for making me feel like home!

Week 1

Hello! My name is Marta Ferraz Valles. I am originally from Barcelona, Spain. I came to Oklahoma almost 6 years ago. I came directly to East Central University to play tennis, get my degree in Exercise Science, and learn English.  After that I went to the OUHSC to do a master in nutrition. I am currently doing my dietetic internship to become a Registered Dietitian. I will be doing the management rotation with Dot for the next 9 weeks. I have enjoyed the first week a lot and I am very excited to be here.

The first two days, and after filling out all the paperwork, I started to get familiar and work with the projects that I will be required to complete during these 9 weeks. As Dot told me, I am a very lucky intern because I have had the chance to spend my first week with Devon. She has explained many things to me during this week and I am very thankful. On Wednesday school was closed and I didn't come due to the weather. I could have come but I nobody knew it was not going to start snowing until late that day. On Thursday we had a nutrition awareness event at the Union where we served Korean vegan and gluten-free food to anybody that wanted to try. We had a board with nutrition information and the recipes of the food we served. People was very thankful and enjoyed the food very much. It took me a while to start pronouncing well the name of  the food but I did better towards the end. I enjoyed talking to the people about the food. On Friday I started working on my recipe development project because I will be serving this recipe during an event at the end of the month.

I can't wait to start meeting with the different staff and learn about the functioning of the department. It is my first time working in this kind of setting and I have a lot to learn. I am very excited. I have to admit that I love eating at Couch every day, the food is amazing! Thank you so much!

Week 9! last week :(

It’s my last day! It’s very sad to be done, but I know I will come back and visit!  This last week I was working on finishing up projects and working with the new intern from OUHSC, Marta.  I spent time with Marta explaining to her the different areas of work that I had been doing so she could become more familiar with things before I leave.   On Tuesday, I met with Marcia Musser to discuss my performance improvement project for Dot’s Deli.  We went over how the prep station was going and what can still be improved.  After my observations and the meeting I was able to complete a step-by-step process of what should occur when a customer has a food allergy for the deli operation.  On Wednesday, campus was closed but I still came in and did some work on the allergy action plan that Dot is working on.  Thursday, we were at the Union doing a nutritional awareness event.  We had a board with lots of nutrition information and included recipes of the food that we served.  We had three different Korean recipes to try, which were delicious.  I also became a lot more comfortable with speaking to strangers about the food and different information.  There was a lot of setup for this event getting it prepared and picking things up from the Couch kitchen.  Friday, I worked on finishing up everything and met with Dot to discuss my performance and growth over this whole process.

I have loved my time here; I have met a lot of great people and learned a lot about management.  There were a lot of different projects that allowed me to see the various aspects of management and what goes into everything.  I will use what I have learned here and apply it to my future.  I want to say thank you to everyone that has helped or spent time with me over these past two months.  Please keep in touch! 

Week #8

During week eight I was able to work a lot on my projects and also get out into the operations to see more about different aspects of food service.  Monday and Tuesday I worked on finishing my management review project and getting my in-service finalized.  Tuesdsay, I also met with Nancy De Graff, Director of Customer Relations and Assistant to Director of Housing and Food Services.  She went over what she does on a daily basis and how she organizes student’s meal plans.  I thought it was very interesting learning about the meal plan set up and how she makes it work in an efficient manner.  She also explained what goes into being an assistant to Frank Henry.  On Wednesday, I was with Dot Flowers in Cate setting up and serving Korean food for Nutritional Awareness.  We went over what the Korean food was and demonstrated to people how foods can be delicious even when they are primarily vegetables.  Everyone really enjoyed the food; I myself loved it and had two servings!  The board also looked great and attracted a lot of attention, which will hopefully help the students understand a bit more about nutrition and how to apply it to healthy lifestyles.  Thursday, I helped prepare and serve for a catering event in the Union for guest speaker, Tom Brokaw.  This event was very large and fun to work!  After the catering event I gave my in-service presentation to the managers and directors at the managers meeting.  I think it went very well!  Many people came up after and said they really enjoyed it and learned something.  I feel like I gained more confidence in my presenting skills after this presentation because people were interested.   Friday, I was with Gary Baker, the general manager, at Crossroads in the Union.  Gary was very detailed and informative about what he does.  I learned a great deal about management from him and what he does on a daily basis.  He explained how he got to this point and all of the tasks that he is responsible for.  He was also fun to spend the day with and see his excitement in his operation.

Over all, this week was very busy and went extremely fast!  I have enjoyed every day at OU Housing and Food because it is always something different.  I really feel like I have been able to see management from so many different aspects!

Week #7

Week 7 was very eventful; I met with four different operations.  On Monday, I was with Chris Kaeser at Book Mark and Starbucks.  I had a lot of fun on this day; we were able to do taste pairings with coffee and pastries, inventory, stocking, etc.  Chris let me put numbers into the computer to figure out how his operations did over the weekend.  We talked about how he manages the different coffee places and the staff that works in each.  Chris also showed me around the Union, and explained all of the operations there.  Tuesday, I was with Windeon McDowell at the Union Market.  The Union Market is a new operation on campus; Windeon has done a remarkable job keeping the place looking great and creating menus for the hot bar.  It was nice getting a tour of the market and having him explain how the store is set up.  I also thought the idea behind The Range was great with the touch screen ordering.  I was even able to build my own sandwich, it was very tasty!  On Wednesday, I met with Donna Dye at Einstein’s for lunch.  I was able to talk to with her about managing small retail operations and how she worked her way up.  I also asked her questions regarding managerial duties and what her daily tasks are.  Thursday I was supposed to give my Employee In-Service presentation during the managers meeting, however I went home early that day because I was sick.  I will be giving it next Thursday.  On Friday I worked with Georgia Leffler in Xcetera, we also went to her other operations- Couch Express and Freshens.   She showed me how she manages each of the three and how she keeps up with Xcetera.  I learned about putting in orders and when they come in.  I also learned how to log transfers and what happens if items were not sent properly.  I was able to see how the convenience store side of things works in housing and food services.

This week was very interactive, which I really enjoyed.  I love doing hands on work and they were all great experiences.  I was excited I had the chance to see more operations.  I also finished more work with my projects, which is exciting!

Week #6

Week #6

Week six was focused mainly on getting prepared for my business plan event.  This week I printed out all of my recipe cards and the Microwave Madness booklets.  I also learned how to use CBORD more in depth.  Before the event I gathered all of my supplies and brought them down to Walker Tower Social Lounge to setup for that night.  The event went very well; I had very positive feedback from the people and all of the booklets were taken by the end.  The food also tasted great based of verbal statements and the responses on the survey.  I was happy with the way the event turned out.   On Tuesday I was with Kevin Barker during the morning.  We went over budgets and what he does to manage and organize the budgeting processes.  It was really interesting to learn about and it helped me to finish my management review project outline.

This week I have been working on getting a lot of my projects done.  I have now finished my business plan, recipe development, sanitation and safety inspection, and my management review projects.  I just have several more to complete.  Next week’s calendar looks very busy already, which I am looking forward to!