News about Dining Services

Campers Find Nutritious Antidote to Rainy Monday

"Concentration" is the mantra for these campers, spreading the groundwork in their makeshift kitchen.

Smiles are just one of the healthy ingredients on display in the Keystone Dining Room.

Pawlik shows youngsters that good nutrition can also be fun, with help from student camp assistant Pearl L. Patterson (background).

Penn College’s Camp ESCAPE has begun its third week of summertime fun, offering youngsters a full menu of field trips, cooking projects, games and activities – rain or shine. Monday’s schedule included a nutrition project with Rebecca L. Pawlik, a registered dietitian with Dining Services, who showed the 6- through 14-year-olds how to make Fruit Sushi.
Photos by Amy S. Lingg, Dining Services marketing assistant

Native Wood Species ‘Spruce Up’ Campus Dining Unit

A new piece of wooden wall art adds a touch of Penn College character to the Keystone Dining Room, not far from the river, where logs were floated by the millions to Williamsport sawmills.

From left: Peter Kruppenbacher, assistant professor of building construction technology, and students Zachary Ridall, Aaron White and Tyler Arthur, who helped to design the piece.

Students cut, sanded and assembled native wood: pine, spruce, oak, cherry and walnut, to design the wall hanging.

Five students in Peter Kruppenbacher’s Woodworking – Art, Craft and Design course brought the vision of Dining Services Director Crissy L. McGinness to life this semester when they completed a piece of wood wall art for the Keystone Dining Room. McGinness has been working with students from various corners of campus to produce artwork for the college’s dining areas, letting their craftsmanship – and the materials of their fields – add a touch of true Penn College character to the eateries. The latest installment was inspired by photos that McGinness sent to Kruppenbacher. The finished piece includes Pennsylvania wood products: pine, spruce, oak, cherry and walnut. The frame is made of poplar. The bulk of the work was completed by Tyler M. Arthur, a manufacturing engineering technology student from  Fleetwood; Liam M. McCay, an applied technology studies student from Bloomsburg; and residential construction technology and management students Nicholas D. Gieger, of Dingmans Ferry,  Zachary J. Ridall, of Berwick; and Aaron F. White, of Westover. Woodworking – Art, Craft and Design (CCM 140) is an applied arts elective available to students in any major.

The Cupboard at Penn College Helps to Feed Students in Need

A Penn College Dining Services employee pulls food from The Cupboard's shelves for a student-client to pick up.

While many joke about the poor eating habits of college students, Dining Services staff at Pennsylvania College of Technology has taken measures to combat a heartbreakingly unfunny reality.

A survey by Dining Services found that 58.9 percent of respondents have skipped a meal at least once because they did not have the money or resources to eat.

“It’s hard to get healthy, cheap food,” one student said, “so, usually, I just end up eating the pizza crust no one wants … or some white bread and tuna.”

Added another, “I have gone without food multiple times this semester because the money I make as a part-time worker only covers my rent.”

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Feeding the Need

Food donations are hand-delivered by R. Colby Janowitz, a culinary arts and systems student from Westminster, Md.

Hunger Awareness Week was observed April 17-21, with a number of Dining Services-sponsored events to call attention to a sobering fact: One in five Penn College students has experienced hunger or food insecurity. Among the activities were an Open House at The Cupboard, a food pantry for students; a Tuesday cookout; a free spaghetti dinner; and information tables at three campus dining units.

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Last updated April 21, 2017 | Posted in Dining Services, Events, Faculty & Staff, Students | This gallery contains 12 photos. | Tagged as | One Comment

Comfort Food: The Cupboard Helps Feed Students in Need

A Dining Services employee pulls food from The Cupboard's shelves for a client to pick up.

From the Spring 2017 Penn College Magazine: Anecdotal evidence, referrals from vigilant faculty and results of a student questionnaire prompt Dining Services to establish a free-food pantry for students who might otherwise go hungry. Read “Comfort Food.”

Read the Spring 2017 Penn College Magazine

Spring 2017 Penn College Magazine cover

The Spring 2017 edition of Penn College Magazine features stories of service from Ecuador, where a 2009 grad is helping coastal communities to recover from a massive earthquake; Guatemala, where nursing students learned and worked in a medical clinic; Florida, where an exercise science alumna is helping clients find health; Europe, where a 1941 drafting graduate served his country and his crewmates; and our own campus, where students and employees work to support Dining Services’ free food pantry and a variety of other community needs. Look for the magazine in building lobbies, or read and share these stories now at magazine.pct.edu.

Get a Jump on Your Future at Penn College’s April 1 Open House

The modern Pennsylvania College of Technology campus will host prospective students and their families for an Open House on Saturday, April 1, during which visitors can explore 100-plus academic majors in a variety of career fields.

For more than 100 years, Pennsylvania College of Technology and its predecessors have tailored their curricular offerings to students’ dreams and employers’ needs. That responsiveness to businesses and their future employees – and the flexibility to foresee tomorrow’s jobs – will be on ample display at the college’s April 1 Open House.

All of the institution’s newest opportunities, as well as the rewarding careers in time-tested fields, will be available to visitors at the college.

“Open House is such a great opportunity for students and their families to experience what makes Penn College such a unique place to learn,” said Claire Z. Biggs, coordinator of admissions events and services. “Through countless activities, prospective students will get an insider’s glimpse of life as a Penn College student.”

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Flavors to Savor at Sixth Annual ‘Soul Food Dinner’

Nursing student Serecia S. Durson, of Beaver Meadows, prepares to enjoy the evening's cuisine.

Penn College’s sixth annual Soul Food Dinner, the concluding event of Black History Month on campus, was held this past week in Dauphin Hall’s Capitol Eatery. The centerpiece of the evening was a menu steeped in tasty tradition: ribs, yams, catfish, cornbread, rice and peach cobbler (among other regional treats), seasoned with side orders of music, poetry, trivia and nutritious goodwill.

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Last updated February 24, 2017 | Posted in Dining Services, Events, Students | This gallery contains 10 photos. | Tagged as | Leave a comment

A Heaping Helping of Hunger-Fighting Goodness

College employees staff the serving line.

Employees of the college's Admissions Office join family and friends for a festive meal.

A mouth-watering bounty

Grateful for the gift of friendship (and the imminent semester break!)

Donations help stock pantry shelves.

Dining Services’ third annual Thanksgiving Dinner, served Tuesday evening in the Keystone Dining Room, provided a delicious opportunity for Penn College students, co-workers, friends and family to count their blessings and celebrate the season. For $7.50, the campus community enjoyed a turkey feast with all the fixings (filling, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green bean casserole, rolls, cranberry sauce and desserts). Nearly 300 dinners were served; diners also donated canned goods and other nonperishables for The Cupboard, the college’s food pantry in the Bush Campus Center.
Photos by Tia G. La, student photographer

Election Night Events Serve Up Refreshments, Results

Having fun in the photo booth (invoking a former president's quote from long before their time) are dental hygiene students Jenna N. Tippy (left) of Langhorne, and Breanna N. Cline, of Reedsville.

Speed Sketchers' Adam Pate quickly caricatures attendees.

Coverage of Tuesday's balloting was broadcast in the CC TV Lounge.

Props honored students' preferences, whomever the candidate of choice.

Patriotically attired for the occasion are Dining Services' Zachary R. Althouse (left), also a student in electronics and computer engineering technology: robotics and automation emphasis, and Christopher R. Grove.

Supplying welcome diversion from the wearying divisiveness of campaign season, Dining Services prepared a lighthearted Election Day Buffet in CC Commons. Tuesday’s menu included a number of delicious offerings, accompanied by side orders of face-painting, novelties, games and giveaways. As returns flowed in, the campus community could watch at a Student Activities-sponsored viewing party in the Bush Campus Center TV Lounge.
Photos by Grace F. Clark, student photographer

Student Mosaics Bring Color to Penn College’s Capitol Eatery

Wall hangings designed and made by Penn College students in an Art of the Mosaic course adorn the Capitol Eatery, the college’s largest and busiest dining unit.

When you enter Capitol Eatery, one of the largest and busiest dining units on the campus of Pennsylvania College of Technology, the serving area boasts bright splashes of color throughout, but the dining room lacked those vivid accents. That changed this summer, when student works of art were installed on its walls.

While taking a ceramics class offered through the college’s Workforce Development & Continuing Education department, Dining Services Director Crissy L. McGinness began to envision a way to spruce up the dining unit décor. She approached David A. Stabley, instructor of ceramics and wood sculpture, about a plan to add student-created mosaics, similar to many he and students had created around campus, at Capitol Eatery.

“Dave is a talented ceramics instructor,” McGinness said, “and I was excited to see what he and his students could bring to our dining unit.”

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Activities Deliver Family Fun … and Grown-Up Goosebumps

Who could say "No" to a face like this!

Several Wednesday events at Penn College, geared to children and the young at heart – and another certainly to be avoided by the faint-of-heart! – put the campus in the mood for Halloween.  Students living in Residence Life’s Village Apartments handed out goodies to youngsters going door-to-door during convenient trick-or-treat hours, followed by a carnival in Rose Street Commons. That evening also saw the annual (and expectedly imaginative) Halloween Boofet at the Capitol Eatery and the ghoulish goings-on at the Arc Asylum “haunted” welding lab.

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Dining Services Brings Touch of Bavaria to Billtown

A beautifully adorned table bids "Willkommen" to CC Commons.

Among those raising "A Toast" – and his country's tricolor flag – is Devyn T. Tucker, a web and interactive media student from Heidelberg, Germany.

Donning lederhosen, a dirndl and other apt attire are (from left) Dining Services' Christopher R. Grove, manager; Kathleen A. Pfirman, catering attendant; and Jonathan T. Hall, assistant manager.

Zachary R. Althouse, of Womelsdorf, enrolled in electronics and computer engineering technology: robotics and automation emphasis, dons a prop pair of sudsy specs.

Sharing in the festivities are (clockwise from left) Mandy M. Myers, an applied human services student from Duke Center; and Andrew P. Brown, of Shermans Dale; and John M. Myers, of Duke Center, both majoring in information technology sciences-gaming and simulation.

Dining Services recently hosted an Oktoberfest in the Bush Campus Center, a cultural celebration that included food a-plenty (cheddar ale soup, bratwurst, pretzels, spätzle, sauerkraut and German chocolate cake were among the hearty offerings) and a nonalcoholic Biergarten on the patio.
Photos by Grace F. Clark, student photographer

Cuisine, Creativity Tempt Shoppers at Campus Farmer’s Market

Worth Rawson, from Dirty Dogs Studio + Gallery in downtown Williamsport, is among the artisans exhibiting and selling their wares.

Dining Services Manager Christopher R. Grove staffs a made-to-order station, specializing in gourmet grilled sandwiches.

John H. Heyen, a machine tool technology student from Old Forge, pores through the possibilities.

Penn College beanies are among the ready-for-winter yarnware by Jenna Evelhair, of J. Evelhair Works.

A Farmer’s Market, held from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday outside the Wildcat Express, brought a touch of handicraft and home cookin’ to the Bush Campus Center. Local vendors brought original artwork, custom clothing, jewelry, honey and baked goods; Dining Services dished up grilled cheese or peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.
Photos by Grace F. Clark, student photographer

All the Tasty Trappings, With None of the Travel!

Automotive student Gibreel B. Conteh, of Philadelphia, feeds an appetite as big as his smile.

Mary E. Haines (left) and Barbara A. Kohler are among the Dining Services workers ...

... serving up succulent clams ...

... and shrimp and sausage.

Awash in camaraderie and clad in lobster bibs are (from left) students Cameron Brown, of Tower City; Taylor Delp, of New Berlin; Maura K. Mengel, of Mount Carmel; Haydn T. VanDyk, of Ramsey, N.J.; and Jordan A. Sims, of Norristown.

The Keystone Dining Room was the setting for a “Low Country Boil” Thursday evening, when students enjoyed the Southern coastal equivalent of a New England clambake – heaping portions of shrimp, clams, mussels, corn, potatoes and andouille sausage prepared by Penn College Dining Services.
Photos by Tia G. La, student photographer