Volume 37, No. 16
December 20, 2016
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Applied Food Studies Students Cultivate Change
New Club Flourishes
BY: Christine Shaw, BPS Applied Food Studies
BY: Dan Salisbury, BPS Applied Food Studies
The bench in foreground marks the location of where the new shed would have been built, had administration not halted construction. The shed in background would have been trasformed into a mycology garden. photo courtesy: Kevin Markey
Never in the history of the CIA has every student been perfectly content with their experience. Current CIA students have expressed dissatisfaction on numerous issues, ranging from everyday issues like the meal plan to the general conservative nature of the college. Students tend to vent their frustrations to one another, but seldom make genuine attempts at creating change. This sort of “slacktivism” is infectious. Concerned students often post their frustrations on social media or complain to other concerned students, which is in no way productive. If someone is truly passionate about solving a problem, he or she should take appropriate action. Last month, ‘the Project’ in the Applied Food Studies class was told to remove the tool shed they had spent almost an entire semester constructing. Frustratingly, it seemed as if their innovative efforts had been being dismissed. Fortunately, they were able to organize themselves and channel their emotions into starting a productive conversation about the needs of the major,
and soon found that the voices of the students were not being dismissed, they only required clarification to the administration. The Applied Food Studies Capstone class found that CIA administrators are quite willing to hear student concerns, and they understand the need for dialogue. Dr. Denise Bauer, Dean of Liberal Arts and Food Studies, reminds us that: “It is easy to make quick assumptions and simplify complex problems - but that doesn’t result in progress, growth or mutual understanding. In fact it often deepens divisions between ‘us’ and ‘them’ and creates stagnation, frustration and anger. That’s why I have been so encouraged by the dialogue between the Project in Applied Food Studies class with and among Dr. Costura, Dr. Sperling and I over the past few weeks. I am encouraged to see our AFS majors articulate their opinions, not accept easy answers and persist in their questions.” Dr. Michael Sperling, Vice President of Academic Affairs, also encouraged student
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activist endeavors: “Applied Food Studies should be, and I believe is, a major that cultivates critical thinking and engaged learning. The Project in Applied Food Studies class really captures that spirit, and this semester students in the class have shown their passion and dedication to creating dialogue on important food policy issues and their relation to campus activities. It’s been particularly rewarding for me to be in dialogue with the class, to think through together both strengths and challenges in how concepts in food studies may apply to our shared campus community, and to critically examine the dynamic of personal agency around promoting change.” After three very helpful meetings with Dr. Bauer and Dr. Sperling, some changes to “the Project” in Applied Food Studies class are being planned, including administrative involvement in an initial project planning session, regular check-in points, and building relationships with campus safety and the grounds department. Though what happened
There’s an exciting and brand new club here at the Culinary. “The Digital Media Club”, says club Co-Founder and 6th term BPS student Kevin O’Connor, looks to “act as a platform for students to come together to create content, releasing this through articles and blog posts, audio, and video”. The club records a weekly podcast, called “The Feed”, in the SGA meeting room in the Student Rec Center. Each podcast typically spans about an hour, and features various student voices covering current trends and subjects relevant to the restaurant and hospitality industry. The podcast can be accessed on the club’s website, which also features a diverse array of content, ranging from personal stories on food identity to the history and versatile uses of different ingredients. The Digital Media Club not only works hands-on with audio equipment for the podcast, but with video production as well. Recently, a few members of the club videotaped a cooking demo with AOS student Canieka Fleming on product utilization. Fleming, currently in restaurant row, wanted to highlight using food scraps and product trim, and needed a media outlet to share her ideas. Working exclusively with chefs Bryan Tobias from High Volume Production and Mike Smith from Restaurant Associates, she came up with a few dishes and enlisted the help of the CIA Digital Media Club to help her with production. The video, produced and edited solely by the club, can be found on their website. “Working in the
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last class before externship, I try and teach [the students] about food waste” says Chef Tobias. He continued, “One example is we take the tuna trim and confit it for the tuna salads”. There are many examples of utilizing food waste within the High Volume Production classroom, and Chef Tobias was more than supportive of Fleming for her initiative. The club is also looking to have guests on the podcast, offering different professional viewpoints regarding the theme at hand. O’Connor even teased the possibility of having on certain chefs from the teaching facilities on an episode, which he explained he was already working on for an upcoming episode. He also highlighted the ability of the club to become a collaborative entity. “Working with other clubs, such as having the Brew club on when we talk about beer, and culinary science students to talk about technical aspects of food, is something we’re looking forward to”, explained O’Connor. He further mentioned that the club is always open to any ideas from students and faculty members . O’Connor concluded that collaboration is“one of the greatest aspects of the club.”. The Digital Media Club is open to any students who are interested. O’Connor explained, “We’re always looking for new students to help out with writing, speak on a podcast, edit, and help plan new themes and ideas to discuss and write about. There’s always behind-the-scenes work to be done” explained O’Connor, “and [the club] is a great oppor-
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