Campus Chatter: Goings-on at Gettysburg

10 Years in Dining Services: Regina Tyree

When students walk into Servo, often they are met by a warm smile and greeting from Dining Services Worker Regina Tyree. Belovedly referred to as simply “Regina,” last month marked her tenth year working for Gettysburg College. Tyree remarked on the change in student interactions from the beginning of her time at Gettysburg to today.

“When I first started here, no one talked to the kids. I began to see the same kids every day. I thought to myself, ‘I see these kids two meals per day, five days per week.’ The longer I’m here, the more connected I feel to kids,” said Tyree.

Just a week ago, a student who graduated in 2018 stopped by to say hi to Tyree. “She asked if I remembered her—I recognized her face— and then she told me her name and it all came back to me,” said Tyree.

Her favorite part of her job is getting to know students and watching them “grow and evolve from timid and shy freshmen and bloom into beautiful and confident people. … It’s like watching my own kids grow up.”

Vegetarian and Vegan Options at Servo

As a busy college student, taking 30 minutes to eat at Servo with my friends is something I look forward to everyday. However, when I walk in, I tend to see the same vegetarian options every day: tofu, rice, pasta, veggies and Beyond Meat. Coming from a vegan household, I was exposed to many vegetarian meals that would make great entrees here at Gettysburg, such as buffalo cauliflower over arugula and roasted zucchini with quinoa. It is also easy to make regular meals vegetarian and even vegan. When the famous feta pasta dish took over the internet, my family was easily able to make this by replacing the regular feta with vegan feta.

Gettysburg already does a great job making sure there are options for vegetarian and vegan students, and I feel they could take this even further by providing vegetarian and/or vegan alternatives to what everyone else is eating. When most people think of a vegetarian diet, they think of veggies and tofu, but there are so many options out there that would make great meals for the whole campus community. I acknowledge that the majority of campus does not follow this diet, but I feel that adding more vegetarian and vegan options would both add healthier and new food options for all of the students of Gettysburg and make these diets more accessible.

An Ode to Women’s Club Rugby

Rugby has always been an integral part of my experience at Gettysburg College. Through playing rugby I have met my best friends and have had the opportunity to learn a new sport and stay active. After a busy day of homework and classes, having rugby as an outlet is something I look forward to: it is always great stress relief and I am able to reset and have fun with my friends. Most people who join the team have never played rugby before, which is actually a benefit for us, because we are able to learn to work together as a team and can forge good habits right from the very beginning. I would absolutely encourage anyone looking for a new hobby to give rugby a try; it has shaped my entire Gettysburg experience for the better.

Food, Land, and People

I’m really happy that I decided to get involved in the “Food, Land, and People” program through the Center for Public Service. “Food, Land, and People” is a program that aims to educate elementary-age students about where their food comes from through a hands-on learning approach. Although, due to COVID, we were not able to go to the local elementary school as we did before, we have done one collaboration with the El Centro after-school program and are planning four more in the future. Some examples of the events we are going to do for them this spring include decorating signs for the Sherfy Garden, a “Lorax” movie day and decorating pots for their very own plants. Working with other volunteers, as well as Program Coordinator Molly Hoffman ’24, has been rewarding and a great way to meet new people. If you are not involved in a Center for Public Service volunteer opportunity, I would highly recommend joining and getting involved!