Sunday, June 10, 2012

University of Northern Iowa--UNI the first few days


DAY 1: Names, Places, and the Whole Shebang of UNI

Thursday, June 7, 2012
University of Northern Iowa

            Today was my first day interning with University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA.  My initial meeting with my director was amazing; I love that she is a Registered Dietitian, which is eventually what I would like to be.  We toured the campus in nice 75-degree weather!  The campus is beautiful with an abundance of wildlife and trails.  The campus is larger than the university that I attend, but it is not overwhelmingly gigantic even though I seem to get lost every time I step out my door.  The hospitality here is great; I get the feeling that anyone would give me the shirts off their backs.  I met tons of people that I will be working with this summer.  I hope that they will be patient with me learning their names.
            There are many food service facilities to choose from at UNI; they will accommodate to anyone’s taste buds.  Speaking of taste, I participated in a taste-testing panel…mmm…pizza!  Wow, these were bizarre but amazing pizzas such as loaded baked potato pizza and Big Mac pizza.  I was able to comment on what I liked and disliked about the pizzas maybe they will use some of the improvements that I suggested, which would be awesome.
            Even though I was pretty full from the taste testing, my director took me to lunch at their food service facilities.  To the girls working at Colby’s today, you make a mean turkey sandwich, and it was delicious!  Afterwards, my director allowed me to sit in on an interview for a director position of facilities and dining at UNI.  I never knew that the interviewing process was so extensive.  There a panel of ten people interviewing one person, and that was only one portion of the interview!   
            Next, we did some more touring of the campus and met more people.  Yikes, there are so many names to remember.  I am happy that I will be getting to work with all of them throughout the program.  Well, I have blisters on my feet, and I am overwhelmed with all the information that I received today, but I am excited to see what awaits for me tomorrow! 
What is everyone doing for their special event/projects? 


DAY 2: STUDENT IDs, COMPUTERS, & TECHNOLOGY
Friday, June 8, 2012
University of Northern Iowa
It was the second day of the NACUFS internship, and I shadowed/assisted the dining technology coordinator at UNI, a position where many hats are worn.  First, I started my day learning how university identification cards were made.  The system was pretty simple, I looked up the students with their identification numbers, took a picture, and printed their cards.  The students can use these cards at numerous locations on the campus for their meals in the dining halls, checking out books in the library, and charging items from the bookstore.  This was the best part of the day seeing the anticipation of the incoming freshman glowing with excitement…if they only knew what they were getting themselves into…just kidding college has been the best part of my life.
            Afterwards, the coordinator and I had a relaxing time in her office talking about all the affiliated systems of dining at UNI.  Typically, there are two types of systems that colleges and universities can use to set up meal plans, to control access to facilities, to take attendance, etc.  UNI uses a CBORD system.  The other system is known as the Bboard system.  As it is my understanding that both systems are very similar much like the similarities to CVS and Walgreens.
            Next, we discussed the Empower System, which is a database that keeps track of employees’ timecards.  The system provides scheduling and reports of the employment at UNI.  It can sort lists based on a number of criteria and filter information with a click of a button.  This system allows for more time for managers to deal with pertinent issues rather than calculating how many hours each employee worked each day.
             We spent the last portion of our day talking about what the Food Pro System is.  Food Pro is a large database run by just about every affiliated dining manager at UNI.  It has the ability to analyze inventory based on what was previously purchased and what will be needed in the future.  Previous days or cycles determine the future customer count.  I was amazed when she told me that the patron count was very predictable, and most of the time they are higher than 95% accurate.  In addition, recipes can be kept in this system, which makes it easy for all the facilities at the university to maintain a standard shall I say taste throughout the campus.
              Wow!  What a day.  I am so glad that we have technology.  I cannot imagine how tedious and overly time consuming some of these tasks would be without these systems.  We have come a long way from writing on stone walls, and I am eager to grow alongside of technology. 






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