Winona State University students who utilize campus dining resources may start to recognize a new face in Jack Kane dining services. Mara Aschliman has been hired as the new campus dietitian, a new role created to support students in managing their dietary needs and can be found running table events, working with students with allergies and helping students balance their nutrition.
College is a big transition for students as they learn to navigate meals on their own. Having a dietitian who is available to work with them is an excellent resource and extremely beneficial in this transitional period. Aschliman is excited about working in a campus setting and hopes to have a positive impact on students’ transformation and adjustments, helping them feel supported.
“I really encourage students to reach out to me,” Aschliman said. “I’m happy to help in any way that I can make students transition easier as they’re navigating food and navigating the big real world whether that’s budgeting or dining hall things.”
The dietitian position underwent a rework this year, creating a new full-time position for Aschliman to step into. John Sinniger, the campus Dining Director explained that it was a choice that felt necessary as allergen awareness increases.
“It was a resource that we thought was necessary to help the students, mainly the ones that are on meal plans,” Sinniger said. “It was an avenue that we wanted to increase as far as resources as part of our partnership with the university.”
He views dining services as a partnership, where they, as a vendor, supply resources for students to take advantage of and he believes that many students will benefit from this resource.
“It’s an offering depending on how much it gets used, some campuses use it more, some campuses use it less but it was an offering that we thought would be important. So we pursued it and made it happen,” Sinniger said.
One month into the job, Aschliman is still transitioning and learning to manage her time spent at Winona State and St. Mary’s University but she is grateful for the friendly and welcoming community that has made campus feel like home.
“One of the biggest things that I’ve noticed here is that the students are so kind,” Aschliman said. “I was out at the lunch service one of the first days I was here and everybody was [saying] ‘thank you’ and ‘please,’ and coming up and talking to me. That’s something unique about Winona. That’s special and makes it feel more like a community here.”
A common experience for many people throughout the United States is food allergies and it is important at all dining experiences but especially for college students to have those needs provided for. A major responsibility of Aschliman is to work with students’ food allergies, discussing different options and making sure they can maintain a healthy diet and be sure that they are staying safe. She has also been working on keeping the digital tags by the meals updated with accurate nutritional information.
One goal Aschliman has is to put on more tabling events to showcase the different options students have and to create a fun environment within the dining halls. “I really hope to bring some more wellness events, whether that’s a DIY trail mix or a tasting a recipe option that maybe we’ll incorporate in our menu at some point,” Aschliman said.
She loves to receive feedback from students and is looking for suggestions about what would make the dining experience on campus better for everybody. She has been working on collaborations, putting together different outreach programs and setting up a portal for students to set up appointments and meet with her.
If students want to reach out to Aschliman, they can do so through email and she welcomes all questions, concerns, or suggestions. Students can watch for the weekly newsletters to hear about upcoming events such as Thankful events, trivia and so much more.
