Sodexo staff serves students, even on snow days

Sodexo staff serves students, even on snow days

Lipscomb canceled classes twice in the first several days of the semester. Students took the opportunity to go sledding on the soccer field and play in the snow. But essential Lipscomb employees were still expected to show up to work as usual. Bison Cafe remained open and maintenance services were still available thanks to the work of these dedicated staff. Campus dining services are contracted through Sodexo, a food service company based in France. Sodexo’s General Manager of Dining Services Wolcott Fary said employee schedules do not stray from the norm when bad weather is predicted. “Most of the folks that we have working for us here, upstairs and downstairs, really are dedicated and committed,” Fary said. “They are not just dedicated and committed to Sodexo because that’s their employer, they really feel more aligned with the university. Most of the folks that work here are here because they care about the university.” Fary said that in most cases, employees only miss work if they cannot make it to campus due to road conditions. Even when school is canceled, employees are aware that there are still students to serve. It’s not an easy decision for them to say they can’t make it. “I think everyone from someone like Lanie, who is one of our supervisors, to anybody who is working making the pizza or Marvin in the back doing the catering work, they’re all going to come here because they’re professionals,” Fary said. “They believe that their role here for us is important, not just for what we do as Sodexo, but how it affects the University.” Several employees worked...

Lipscomb community celebrates Au Bon Pain grand opening

While traveling several years ago, Lipscomb president Randy Lowry ran across an Au Bon Pain and wanted to bring it to campus. That idea became a reality at the cafe’s grand opening this Tuesday. “We finally got to the point of having the place, having the time, having Sodexo’s support and having this little French cafe,” Lowry said. The grand opening of Au Bon Pain brought in a wave of students to the newly renovated portion of the Student Activities Center. Festivities included free food samples, games like corn hole and spike ball and a raffle for Predators tickets, food coupons, reusable cups and more. The cafe has been popular since it opened on limited hours last week. “It’s a perfect location for folks to be able to come over and spend some time relaxing in the dining area,” said Wolcott Fary, Sodexo general manager. “In conjunction with the Student Activity Center, it’s a powerhouse punch.” Au Bon Pain offers a wide variety of options including hot and cold sandwiches, pastries, coffee, soups and salads, plus a large seating area for students to socialize or do homework. “It’s very popular,” junior Lindsey Lang said. “The salads are on point, so they’re really delicious, and so far the pastries I’ve had are pretty good.” Lang said the wait to get her sandwich one day was long, but it was worth the wait. Sophomore Zack Eccleston said he loves the new cafe and bakery. “I love that it’s actually kind of a full service restaurant at Lipscomb, and it’s really, really good,” Eccleston said. One popular item among students is the reusable cup. Once...
Special Olympians embraced by Lipscomb ‘family’

Special Olympians embraced by Lipscomb ‘family’

It was a dark and rainy day on campus, but smiles and cheers lit up Allen Arena during the Special Olympics State Basketball Tournament Friday evening. The basketball games that continued into Saturday night marked Lipscomb’s 11th year of hosting the tournament. The special bond between Lipscomb athletes and the Special Olympics athletes make the teaming of the tournament and the university a natural fit. “There is a competitive rivalry, but there is also much more support of fellow athletes no matter what team they’re on,” said Lin Garner, Lipscomb’s Associate Athletic Director for Academics. A spotlight was put on the athletic camaraderie at the opening ceremonies, where Lipscomb athletes joined the Special Olympics athletes to cheer them on before they stepped on court. Terry Watkins, Special Olympics Director for Area 1 Nashville, said that in that short time of fellowship, the Special Olympics athletes made connections with the college athletes. “Love is love,” Watkins said. “You can love a sport, whether you’re really good at it or not. “College athletes are generally good at sports. There are some of our [athletes] that may not be, but they still have that love — that common love of sports that comes together when we do things like this.” Watkins, who also teaches Special Education at Nashville’s Glencliff High School, is a veteran of three decades as a Special Olympics coach. He said he loves what he sees on the court, but wishes more would would take the time to cheer in the stands. “Most of our [coaches’] job is encouragement — building on the good things — and when the fans cheer, that...

Lipscomb staff provide for students through inclement weather

Lipscomb University experienced its first real winter weather of 2015, which brought the usually active campus almost to a standstill. On Feb. 16, Tennessee was declared to be in a state of emergency forcing local shops, restaurants and University’s to close until roads were safe to drive on. Students on and off-campus were stranded, or forced to be, what felt like, held captive in their own houses and dorm rooms, which made the demand for food on campus a lot higher than normal. Sophomore Starbucks worker Eric Scheide explained how hectic those few days were. “We were the only downstairs food service that was open, so the cancelled class days were very busy and stressful at times.” “Thanks to a great group of workers, we managed to stay on top of the work load, and hopefully it kept our customers happy,” Scheide said. Lipscomb cancelled classes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday morning and Friday afternoon during the week of Feb. 16. When classes are cancelled, whether it be due to treacherous weather or some other emergency, the entire campus cannot come to a halt. During this most recent class interference, many behind the scenes staff began working even harder to make sure students were made comfortable. Throughout the week, Lipscomb’s campus services and security, Sodexo food services and Starbucks staff remained on campus, and even with a limited staff, they were able to make it a successful week. Another issue that affected students and staff was the transportation problems that arose due to the dangers on the roads. Nashville’s buses were forced to change routes on many occasions which created more trouble for the staff that use the...
Lipscomb’s executive chef tops Belmont counterpart in “Battle of the Chefs”

Lipscomb’s executive chef tops Belmont counterpart in “Battle of the Chefs”

While the first Battle of the Boulevard has yet to tip off, one battle has already been won.  For the first time in a while, Lipscomb and Belmont’s chef clashed in the Battle of the Chefs on Thursday in the Bison Cafe. Lipscomb’s Executive Chef Anthony Bates won the competition, defeating Belmont’s executive chef William Finnegan by a slim margin. The event was held the day before the Bisons and the Bruins play in Allen Arena in the first Battle of the Boulevard this season. James Perry, Sodexo’s District Marketing Manager, said that the event is more of a friendly contest. “It’s meant to [be] a friendly competition between the chefs,” Perry said. “It’s meant to educate people that these are professional chefs.” Perry said that “Battle of the Chefs” is a normal thing for Sodexo accounts, which both Lipscomb and Belmont are. “Belmont and Lipscomb, both Sodexo accounts, have been doing this for years; we just brought it back,” Perry said.               Photo credit: Whitney...