We write to address the recent Sophian article, “Dining Staff Face More Pressure and Less Support,” which details some of the issues Smith’s Dining operations — like those of many colleges and restaurants across the country — are facing this semester. Staffing shortages, supply chain disruptions, and variability in the timing of peak demand are the primary contributors to the challenges we are encountering this semester. We acknowledge the challenges this has caused for students and staff, and the dining management team is working to overcome these challenges with continued hiring, extending ordering lead times, and changing menus and infrastructure. However, some of the stresses caused by the pandemic have no easy fix, and may be with us for some time to come.
The article also references adjustments that dining staff and students have had to make because of
changes we made to Smith’s dining program. All of these changes were introduced to both adhere to
community health guidance and achieve some of the goals set out by the Residential Experience Working Group (REWG). The REWG was a working group of students, faculty, alumnae and staff (both union and management) that, in 2019, made recommendations for creating a more inclusive dining community. Those recommendations included three themes – food, accessibility and sustainability – and we have implemented changes in response to all three themes in order to better meet our students’ needs. We will continue to engage with our employees and the Student Government Association Dining Committee as we incorporate the community’s feedback.
Sincerely,
Andrew Cox, Executive Director of Auxiliary Services
Jim Gray, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Operations
