Getting Involved: TV Script

UT Dining: What’s all the fuss about?

University of Tampa has fast food options to choose from including Dairy Queen, Einstein’s Café, and Chick-fil-A .However, some student complain that it is not enough.

 “I just don’t think there is enough variety of food choice on campus…I pretty much eat the same thing every day,” says Sophomore Jarietta Saulseberry. While you hear a lot of whining from students about the lack of food variety on UT’s campus, most private colleges and universities in Florida offer fewer options at a higher cost. Rollins College, in Winter Park, charges students about $5,340 a year for 15 meals a week with only seven food venues to choose from.

  Furthermore, Saint Leo University charges their students about $4,630 a year for a meal plan offering only two venues, the main cafeteria and a grocery store. Stetson University offers their students about 15 meals per week for $4,820 a year with only two food places to choose from.  At Eckerd College, in Petersburg, students pay about $5,038 a year for a meal plan with only three food venues on campus.  Students at UT pay less for their meal plans and are given a larger variety of food selections.

For about $4,392 a year, UT offers students a meal plan of 15 meals per week with over 13 dining venues to eat at which is obviously more options at a lower price than the other universities listed.  From well-known venues like Chick-fil-A to International food venues, UT students are given a wide range of options for a healthy and abundant dining experience.  “I think we have more than enough options. It’s hard to complain about the food here when most university only has a coffee shop and a cafeteria,” says Junior Kayla Felix. “Students here are just being ungrateful.”

Although there are plenty of food locations on campus, UT dining services face challenges with catering to a wide variety of students’ taste. David Starkey, the Interim Marketing Coordinator of UT dining service, explains the difficulty they have pleasing every student while trying to maintain a large variety of options at the food venues. “You can never please every student,” says Starkey. “There will always be a student who is unhappy with the selections, we just do the best we can to please the majority of the students.”  He explains that there is a budget they have to stay within and most of the varieties of options they offer are seasonal.

While it may seem easy to have a large variety of food choices, there are many things to consider when deciding what food options to offer students.  Like most departments, UT dining services has a budget they must abide by. They have to consider how much something would cost, the amount of students it will appeal to, if they would make a profit from it, and will they benefit from that investment.  The cost of the selection is the first thing to consider because the dining team has to make sure it doesn’t exceed their budget so they are able to provide other options as well. Next, they consider how many students will enjoy this selection so they are not wasting money on something most students wouldn’t choose.  Also, it is important for them to calculate if a profit will be made because it would be pointless to offer a selection to the students if they will not be receiving a profit from it. The dining team not only focuses on offering options that would be profitable but also focuses on providing healthy and a variety of choices to accommodate those with specific diets.

  The UT dining team is committed to offering a variety of choices from recipes that include nutritious mix of ingredients, to offering educational resources for positive lifestyle habits. They also focus on health and wellness through the use of seasonal menus, featuring fresh and healthy ingredients from pumpkins to yellow squash.  For each season there is a unique produce that they often showcased in some of the signature dishes. For students who have special dietary needs, there are informational resources and customized menus to address those needs.  For example, the students who don’t eat meat have a vegetarian section in the cafeteria to choose from.

Although UT offers a large variety of food choices at a fairly lower price than most university in the area, there will be some students who are unsatisfied with the selections. The dining team is opened to new ideas and opinions from the students about things they could improve on, offer, and/or change. If you have any suggestions or comments about the dining services on campus or just would like some additional information regarding UT’s dining service, feel free to visit their website at dining.ut.edu. 

UT STUDENTS GET INVOLVED: Radio Script

NARRATOR
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AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA, MANY UPPER CLASSMEN ARE WORKING TO BUILD THE COMMUNITY. KAYLA FELIX, SERVICE CHAIR OF CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL (CKI), REACHES OUT TO STUDENTS ALL ACROSS CAMPUS ENCOURAGING THEM TO GET INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY.
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FELIX: "THE GOAL AND PURPOSE OF CKI IS TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY, PROMOTE COMMUNITY SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, AND TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO BECOME ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.”
OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, CKI MEMBERS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN SERVICE PROJECTS THAT INCLUDE BUT NOT LIMITED TO, KEEP TAMPA BAY BEAUTIFUL, FAITH CAFE, AND METROPOLITAN MINISTRIES.
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CKI OFFERS BENEFITS BEYOND SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY.
FELIX: “PARTICIPATING IN SERVICE PROJECTS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY ALLOWS YOU TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE WHILE NETWORKING, GAINING LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, AND ATTENDING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES.”
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CKI MEETS ON WEDNESDAYS AT 8 PM IN WALKER HALL 408. ANYONE IS WELCOMED TO JOIN AND THERE ARE NO REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP.
IF YOU THINK IT’S TIME TO GET OUT AND GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY. CKI IS ONE SURE WAY TO START MAKING A DIFFERENCE.

Getting Involved in Your Community

While freshman have adjust to the college life, many upper classmen continue to recruit new members for their organizations. Kayla Felix, a junior studying Chemistry and Biology, reaches out to students all across campus encouraging them to get involved in the community. As community service chair of Circle K International (CKI), the only community service organization on campus, Felix strives to reach out to students interested in making a difference in the community. "The goal and purpose of CKI is to make an impact on the community, promote community service and leadership development, and to encourage others to become active in the community as well," Felix explains. 

Circle K International is sponsored by Kiwanis International, the headquarters of each Kiwanis family club. Kiwanis International, founded in 1915, is broken down into four family clubs; K-Kids for primary school children, Builders Club for adolescents, Key Club for teens in high school, and CKI for university students. Each club focuses on changing the world by serving others, one child and community at a time. According to the Kiwanis International official website, Kiwanis has staged nearly 150,000 service projects and raised nearly $100 million every year for communities, families, and projects. 
Over the past few years, CKI members at the UT have participated in service projects that include but not limited to, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, an effort aimed to keep the beaches of Tampa clean, Faith Cafe, a cafe used solely to feed homeless and needy families, and Metropolitan Ministries, a program aimed towards serving the poor and homeless families. "The best part about being a member of CKI is knowing that by participating in any service project, you are making a positive impact on the world every day - it's such a great feeling," says Michelle Torrech, the secretary of CKI. She is excited about this upcoming semester and is looking forward to getting to know new members who are excited about service to the community. 
This semester, starting Oct.16, Felix, Torrech, and other members of CKI, will be volunteering every Wednesday and Friday with Metropolitan Ministries in its efforts in providing food and services to poor and homeless families in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Polk County.  In order to participate in this project, CKI members and other volunteers are required to register through the project’s website at www.metromin.org or contact them via phone at (813)209-1045. The office is located at 2001 North Florida Avenue, Tampa, FL 33602. It is beneficial to register in advance so they are aware of how many volunteers will be participating that day. 
According to older members, there are many benefits from joining CKI that include making new friends, experiencing excellent networking opportunities, meeting people from all over the nation, gaining leadership development, and attending international conventions. “Participating in service projects within the community allows you to meet and interact with all kinds of people and it is encouraging to be surrounded by other students who strive to achieve the same goals towards community service,” Felix says. “I never understood why more students aren’t involved.” Circle K International’s meetings are held Wednesday at 8 PM in Walker Hall room 408. Anyone is welcomed to join and there are no requirements for membership. It’s time to get out and get involved in your community. You can start making a difference today.