Auxiliary Services

Drumlins Celebrates Grand Opening of Bistro 1926

On Thursday, June 3, Drumlins Country Club will celebrate the grand opening of its new restaurant, Bistro 1926. In a nod to the club’s nearly 100-year history, the name of the restaurant is a reference to the year the club opened.

The opening marks the start of an exciting new era at Drumlins. A new chef, Scott O’Connell, was brought on board in early May to revamp the menus for the club’s restaurant, catering and refreshment stand. He has brought an elevated new-American cuisine to Drumlins, offering a variety of sandwiches, pasta dishes and entrees on the menu.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Jon Webster Joins Auxiliary Services as Executive Director, Hospitality

Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services Kris Klinger announced this week that Jon Webster has been named to the position of Executive Director, Hospitality. The newly-created position will coordinate all hospitality needs for the Syracuse University community, including residential dining, catering, concessions, and retail operations.

Webster will begin his tenure on June 1, overseeing several Food Services departments transitioning from a year of pandemic-related restrictions and closures to an anticipated return to normal operations next August.

“We are excited to welcome Jon to our team,” says Klinger. “Jon brings a contagious energy and drive, a wealth of knowledge and experience, as well as a passion to build community and enhance the student experience in big and little ways.”

Jon will be charged with exploring new service venues, introducing new products to campus, and incorporating the latest trends in food service into the University.

One of his initial charges will be to continue Food Services’ work with Venue Hospitality Solutions, Athletics, and Stadium Operations to complete the upgrade of eight Stadium concessions stands. The renovated stands will aim to enhance the fan experience through faster checkout times, shorter lines, and new food and beverage options.

Webster comes to Syracuse from South Pasadena, California, where he had been the Resident District Manager for Bon Appetit at Universal Studios Hollywood and Dreamworks Animation Studios since February 2019.

Prior to his time with Bon Appetit, Jon worked for Dining Services at the California Institute of Technology for almost 15 years, advancing to the position of Senior Director. Webster has a bachelor’s degree from the College of Wooster and received his MBA from the University of Redlands.

Webster is ready to hit the ground running and anticipates using food as a way to create an unparalleled Syracuse University experience.

“I believe that food is the ultimate expression of one’s culture and a sociological tool that bridges those cultures to form larger communities,” Webster says. “I look forward to learning about the Syracuse University culture and determining how we can best utilize food to enhance the University’s educational mission and campus experience.”

WAER Wins Two New York State Broadcasters Association Awards

WAER has received two awards from the New York State Broadcasters Association in their 55th annual Awards for Excellence in Broadcasting competition. The awards will be presented to the station in September, at the association’s regional award luncheon.

The first award-winning story was produced by WAER News Director Chris Bolt and aired in February 2020 on a Cornell University program that educates children and young adults about the dangers of vaping. The story can be read and listened to on WAER’s website.

The second story was produced by student journalist Gil Gross ’21 and examined efforts by a local sports columnist to urge the University to retire a jersey worn by a female athlete. Overdue: Retire a Woman’s Jersey can be heard on WAER’s SoundCloud page.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

University to Debut New Meal Plan Options for All Students in Fall 2021

he Housing, Meal Plan and I.D. Card Services Office will introduce a block meal plan system, offer unlimited meal plans and combine campus funds into one account starting in the 2021-22 academic year.

The overhaul of the meal plan system was driven by student feedback, says Kris Klinger, associate vice president of Auxiliary Services, which includes the Housing, Meal Plan and I.D. Card (HMPID) Services Office. Students and their families often expressed confusion over the number of meal plan options, the weekly “reset” and the difference between the SUpercard FOOD and PLUS accounts, Klinger says. With the assistance of a nationally-recognized college meal plan consultant, HMPID conducted stakeholder meetings and student focus groups over the course of several months, which guided planning for the new system.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

WAER Student Journalists Among Winners at SPJ Mark of Excellence Region 1 Contest

Two WAER student journalists were among a group of Newhouse School students who earned more overall wins and honors than any other school competing in this year’s Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ) Mark of Excellence Region 1 competition.

The competitive contest recognizes college media work produced by students at schools throughout the Northeast, including Columbia Journalism School, the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College, Harvard University, Boston University College of Communications and Pennsylvania State University, among others.

Read the full story at newhouse.syr.edu.

WAER Launches Afro Futures Podcast

Out of a need for authentic conversations about issues facing the black community comes a new podcast from WAER, Afro Futures.  Hosts Yusuf Abdul-Qadir and Latavius Murray bring context and nuance to important conversations. The podcast aims to cover culture, politics, sports, and everything in between from a Black perspective.

In this pilot episode, they discuss what brought them together, why they feel this project is important in today’s culture, and what we can expect from the show in the future. Afro Futures will be available soon on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

Listen to the pilot episode at WAER.org.

Alumni Provide Support to WAER Students at the NCAA Tournament

When the Syracuse University men’s basketball team ended its NCAA Tournament run last month, it also marked the end of a long season for the student media broadcast team at WAER.

Newhouse School of Public Communications seniors Corey Spector, Cooper Boardman and Gillon Gross traveled to Indianapolis to broadcast the men’s basketball game against San Diego State, and then, following the team’s first round win, its game against West Virginia.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

United Way Mask Donation Helps Keep Central New Yorkers Safe

Staff from the United Way of Central New York and Otto the Orange visited the Westcott Community Center in Syracuse recently to make a special delivery of hundreds of protective face masks for local senior citizens participating in the Westcott Senior Services program.

The distribution was made possible by the generous donation of nearly 3,000 Syracuse University branded face masks and gaiters by Syracuse University licensee Colosseum Apparel.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Highlight the Heroes Part 3: Staff Members Display Ingenuity, Determination, Teamwork in Face of COVID-19 Pandemic

As the novel coronavirus took hold in the United States and locally nearly a year ago, many members of the campus community had to reimagine countless processes, solve new and challenging problems, work together in ways previously unheard of, and step up in ways large and small to continue protecting the health and well-being of those who call Syracuse home. Our series continues with the stories of people and teams that have risen to the task and shown what it means to be Orange.

This chapter of the series includes the incredible work of BFAS team members in Materials Distribution and Mail Services and Food Services.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

By the Numbers: The New Schine Dining Experience

The newly-renovated Schine Dining area has exceeded all expectations in its first 30 days of operation. Food Services staff has remained busy from the moment the building opens each day to well after it closes it each night. Led by Sue Bracy, Food Services director of retail and catering operations, 64 professional union staff and 140 student employees serve thousands of hungry customers each day, all while managing social distancing and public health guidelines around in-person seating and dining.

The success at Schine has been shared at every location. Both CoreLife and Halal Shack have reported that their locations at Schine are the busiest locations in their entire chains. In the beginning, CoreLife staff from its flagship location were on hand to assist because of the incredible volume – and they ended up staying for weeks to pitch in!

In the coming weeks and months, Food Services will look to expand its workforce at Schine, enabling its restaurants to extend their hours as new staff are hired and trained. But for now, the team will take a quick minute to breathe and celebrate the successes of their first month!

In its first month, Schine Dining:

  • Served 70,000 customers
  • Earned $630,000 in sales, compared to $274,000 in the same month in 2019
  • Dunkin’ served 8,748 breakfast sandwiches and 8,000 iced coffees (and counting!)
  • Chocolate Pizza Company sold 900 chocolate pretzel rods and 144 slices
  • Halal Shack’s cooks prepared 7,500 pounds of chicken
  • Panda Express distributed 12,400 fortune cookies
  • CoreLife Eatery serves over 500 bowls a day in seven and a half hours. That means their staff can prepare a bowl in less than one minute!
  • Food Services staff prepped 80 pounds of sweet potatoes each day for CoreLife
  • The staff needed to purchase 36 new stanchions for social distancing and line control
  • Four times a day, a truck full of dirty dishes is shipped from Schine to the commissary to be washed, as the dish room on-site is not large enough to keep up!