SPECIAL GUILFORD SUSTAINABILITY CENTERSRREAD
'31. 1.?
VOLUME 94, ISSUE 17 // FEBRUARY 22, 2008
THE GUILFORDIAN
GUILFORD COLLEGE // WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM // GREENSBORO, NC
3 VENDORS BID FOR DINING CONTRACT
RFP Committee
hosts 3 open
interviews
By Joanna Bernstein
& Deena Zarn
Staff Writer
Senior Writer
Cloud Gamble/Guilfordian
A Sodexo chef demonstrates exhibition cooking during an open interview on Feb. 15.
Last week, as the Sodexho contract nears
expiration, Guilford hosted food provider
vendors Meriwether Godsey, Bon Appetit
and Sodexho in the Community Center to
present to students, faculty and staff their
future plans for the College's dining ser
vices
The first to present, Meriwether Godsey,
emphasized their company's small size and
the importance of partnership and unity
among students, staff and management
within each dining hall that they operate.
"The most important things to us are the
people that we serve and the people that
we employ," said Leslie Phillips, director of
business development.
Meriwether Godsey has investigated what
constitutes a living wage for people living in
the Greensboro area, and they are prepared
to offer their employees fair compensation.
While students were pleased to hear that
the workers would be paid a living wage, the
mood in the community center dampened
when Jonathan Varnell, associate vice presi
dent of operations and facilities, informed
students that if Meriwether Godsey (or any
food provider other than Sodexho) were
awarded the contract, all of the current
managerial staff would lose their jobs.
Meriwether Godsey said that they would
do their best to retain all of the present caf
eteria staff, but legally the management can
not stay.
After speaking about employment, the
company shifted to menu options and food,
main focus of their presentation.
"Our professional chefs test all of the
foods on the menu," Phillips said. "We have
cycle menus, but you'll never see the same
food in four weeks."
The company said that their dining halls
have a "fresh market" feel and offer daily
vegetarian and vegan options.
Meriwether Godsey also provides their
dining halls with as much local, all-natural
and organic foods as possible.
As part of their "Greening Guilford" plan
to be environmentally sustainable in their
business practices, the company promised
that all of the milk in the cafeteria will be
organic, all meat and poultry will be hor
mone and antibiotic free, and that during
growing season, at least 50 percent of all
produce will come from local farms.
Sophomore Amanda Ross thought that
Meriwether Godsey was vague in answer
ing some students' questions and describ
ing their composting practices, but she also
appreciated their efforts to be sustainable.
"I liked the emphasis on local and organic
options," Ross said.
Junior Jason Meisner was impressed with
the company's presentation, but he was
simultaneously skeptical.
"They seem to care a lot about what
Guilford students want," Meisner said. "But
I'm worried about diversity within the man
agement."
The second company to present. Bon
Appetit, is more than twice the size of
Meriwether Godsey.
As a subsidiary of multi-national Compass
Group, Bon Appetit prides itself upon hav
ing made a positive impact in their line
of work as a socially and environmentally
responsible corporation.
"With regards to a living wage, in our
proposal we decided upon $9 an hour for
cafeteria staff," said John Engstron, regional
vice president.
"We realize that the spectrum of a living
wage varies depending on location," District
Manager Randy DeMers said. "And we are
See "Dining Services" on page 3
Vagina Monologues—and more!
By fake Blumgart
Senior Writer
Every Valentine's Day week
end (Feb. 14-17) Guilford rec
ognizes the epidemic violence
against women across the world
by performing "The Vagina
Monologues," Eve Ensler's classic
episodic play exploring women's
experience.
But this year, senior co-directors
Kathrin Gilbert and Mary Nevin
Hobgood decided to change things
up. Instead of only performing
"The Vagina Monologues" for all
three nights, the directors intro
duced a newer play, "A Memory,
A Monologue, A Rant, and a
Prayer," to the program.
In contrast to "The Monologues,"
which is solely Ensler's work,
"Memory" is compiled by doz
ens of diverse authors. The play
attempts to tackle an equally
diverse range of issues, including
race, class, power, and structural
violence. But the starkest contrast
to the original monologues was
the gender-neutral casting call.
"Part of the reason why we
chose to (perform Memory) is
because "The Vagina Monologues"
are problematically cut and
dry," Gilbert said. "'The Vagina
Monologues' are written by a
white woman of a certain genera
tion. For Eve Ensler's generation
they are completely revolutionary,
but for our generation it isn't as
revolutionary as it was. The new
show talks about the systems that
everyone is hurt by, structures by
See "V-Day" on page 5
Nf love for the ladies?
Comparing attendance at
home baskethalfomffiepa f