Dean Tuttle's Trinitoninan Columns

Dean's List

<< PREVIOUS | HOME

Nov. 2, 2007

NEXT >>

Take on me

Question

When is Aramark’s contract up for renewal and will it be an open bid?

Answer

The contract is renewable annually.  I assume you aren’t asking because you’d like to see us lock them into a long-term deal, though. The University and ARAMARK have a strong relationship.  Like any other is has its highs and lows, but they value us to the point of showing us off as one of their best accounts.  ARAMARK doesn’t take us for granted and works to constantly improve their operations and services.

Any good supervisor knows that you don’t wait until evaluation time and then tell an employee he or she doesn’t measure up.  A good boss, keeps his or her charges informed along the way of what improvements they need to make.  When renewal time for ARAMARK comes up there are usually nothing but positive notes in their file, so dumping them would be unfair given their track record. Certainly the food always looks fresher on the other side. But visit your friends on other campuses and decide if you are getting what you pay for here. I think ARAMARK will hold up well. Got ideas and gripes? Get specific information to Bruce Bravo in Dining Services. He will listen and if he doesn’t do what you want, he will still treat you well.

Question
“If a new fine is now imposed for first-time alcohol offenses as a deterrent punishment, do you have to measure that punishment’s effectiveness in order to justify the fine? And if the measurement shows no improvement, does that mean that there are possibilities for more sever deterrent steps in the future?”

Answer

Good questions. The Alcohol Coalition will definitely look to see if the number of cases changes since the fine was instated. We may decide the fines were useless or that they were too low to have an effect, and subsequently set them higher, as some on the Coalition wanted to do in the first place. (Compared to MIP tickets, we are a bargain.) The fines were meant to add more substance to the educational first offense sanction. It’s a personal decision for someone tossing back a few beers. Is it worth $50 or not? The fine has been added not just to deter, but to provide a revenue stream that will subsidize the on-line alcohol courses that all new students have to complete. Those programs are anywhere from $7,000 to $14,000 depending on the vendor. Of course, people could just follow the policy. If not, they will at least be putting their money towards something related to their offense.

HOME | TRINITY | TRINITONIAN