Meet the dietitian behind some of the best college food in Iowa
Meet the dietitian behind some of the best college food in Iowa
As the home of some of the best college food in Iowa, dining at the University of Northern Iowa is always worth bragging about. Of course it takes many cooks and dining employees to get students fed — but it also takes the hard work of some behind-the-scenes employees like Stacey Runde, administrative dietitian at UNI.
“I just love working with the students, especially when I may see someone who is having trouble finding foods they can eat and then I meet them again in a few months and see they’re thriving,” she said.
The impact of Runde’s role is immense. Not only does she conduct recipe checks and ensure students and campus visitors with dietary restrictions are accommodated, but she also offers one-on-one meetings to any student who has questions about nutrition. As a dietitian, she is the only medical professional aside from a doctor who can offer advice about nutrition to a patient. Students can consult with Runde even if their need is as simple as wanting to learn how to cook for themselves for the first time in their own off-campus apartment.
“People are generally living with us for one to four years,” said Runde. “Just really being able to influence this important part of their life is something I truly love.”
Runde’s value to the university is evident from a recent feature in a national magazine and a statewide award. Runde wrote “Why dietitians belong at the table: Creating supportive dining beyond allergens” for a recent issue of “Campus Dining Today,” which is a publication from the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS).
“It's nice to share UNI with the nation because we're small-ish compared to some of the other schools that belong to NACUFS like Yale,” said Runde. “I was happy to put us in there.”
As a regular reader of the magazine, Runde was thrilled to have her proposal accepted. In the article, she covers some of the ways dietitians enhance the dining experience at UNI, including some items she believes are fairly unique. For example, dietitians meet with students early in their academic journeys — during Orientation and during visit days — to showcase the ways UNI can support students with dietary needs. After these meetings, Runde says dining services can translate student needs into changes pretty quickly, even if it’s as simple as adding a particular sauce a student with allergies likes to its lineup.
Overall, UNI offers greater flexibility to students with dining options because it is self-operated rather than being operated by an outside food services company. Runde believes if dining services were not self-operated, it might be slower to implement changes based on student feedback.
“We do what we can to help because it can be a bummer to eat with allergies when all your friends can walk in and have 15 options, and you have maybe one or two,” she said.
By learning about the many ways dietitians at UNI impact Housing & Dining, Runde hopes readers of her article will begin to see their own staff members in a new light.
“I hope other people reading it would say either, ‘We need a dietitian,’ or ‘We need to value the dietitians.’”
The publication comes on the heels of Runde also being recognized with the Gem Award at the Iowa Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Conference. This award recognizes the contributions of dietetics professionals, businesses and organizations. In Runde’s case, she was acknowledged for taking a mentorship program another dietitian started and bringing it state-wide to help up-and-coming dietitians connect with more seasoned experts.
Recognitions aside, Runde’s passion for nutrition and the satisfaction of healthy students is what keeps her coming back day after day.
“We have people who have said they decided to come to UNI because they have an allergy and met with the dietitian and felt comfortable coming here,” she said. “They know we’ll take care of them.’
Any student who would like to meet with a UNI dietitian can email nutrition@uni.edu.
