Olivet Nazarene University

 

Kendall Cramer ’10 had had enough. One little irritant in the ONU cafeteria after another, and he knew it was time to talk to Sodexo, the vendor that runs Olivet’s food service.

“I knew that Sodexo could do better because when they catered, it tasted pretty good.

"One day, something triggered me and I went to find the manager. When he came out to talk to me, I voiced my opinion rather loudly and ignorantly,” shares Kendall candidly, remembering how it all began.

Two sides to the story

Sodexo was in the midst of just hiring on a new manager, Ed Daugherty.

In the first few days of his new post, Ed was still meeting his employees and getting a take on things.

And then, in walked Kendall.

“Kendall and I started off with a really rocky relationship when I first came on board last February.

"He was on the [student] food committee. Kendall really took the place of being the voice of the students. He was making sure the students were getting back their value,” relays Ed.

Kendall was so adamant about seeing change, now, that he eventually ended up calling Ed’s supervisor and giving a bad report.

Ed laughs as he remembers. “Kendall and I basically had a conversation and I told him I needed some time to improve things and I was listening to the food committee and listening to him.

“He was very involved and asked questions and was interested in what I thought.

"After that point, it took about five weeks for him to see that things were changing and I was listening.”

Ed began to see Kendall as more than just a kid trying to make his life harder, however.

Changing perspectives

Ed decided to step into the role of a student to really understand what Kendall was concerned about.

And he invited Kendall to step into the role of a food service manager.

“For 21 days I ate three meals a day in the cafeteria to see what the students were experiencing,” shares Ed.

“Kendall joined me in a couple of those; he was really interested in my feedback.

"When he saw that we were doing the right thing and that his voice mattered and students’ voices mattered, he really began to help.”

With this validation, Kendall became empowered and veered his concerns from demands to productive criticisms and promoting change amongst the students.

Kendall was becoming the advocate for students, as well as for the cafeteria.

Food school

Hoping for a learning experience for Kendall, Ed offered the journalism student a summer internship with Sodexo.

Kendall accepted the offer, and ended up serving not only at the Chicago Bear’s Training Camp, but coming up with innovative ideas in the summer on campus catering services and also working with Olivet’s radio station, Shine.fm.

“I had the opportunity to get real work experience. Throughout the summer, I did a lot of event planning.

"I planned this school year’s promotions and events. By dealing with other businesses, I learned how to negotiate prices.

“It taught me business skills and expanded upon my communication skills.”

Through this experience Ed’s appreciation for student input increased, and he was reminded to see his role as that of a mentor.

“We really try to look at the real lives of students here. We’re looking at the challenges students have, not just within academic learning but life struggles.

"There’s a lot of stress that comes with being a student and we try to help them through their journey.

“I saw Kendall saying, ‘What can my influence be here?’ And he was looking out for other students.

"He is always doing that. He found a way to use his passion to be service-oriented and to make his voice heard.”

Lasting impact

Kendall’s impact on Ed was so profound that he coined a term: “The Kendall Cramer Effect,” in his honor.

“When you’re young, sometimes you don’t always see the opportunities, but the challenges.

"So I was proud of Kendall to see him grow. His ideas and passion are what gave me the idea for the term named after him. It’s something I share with the corporate office and in other meetings I speak at.”

Kendall is grateful for the chance he has had to grow through diverse experiences.

“The past year has been filled with opportunities and experiences that many people never have.

"After my freshman year, I was going to transfer to Illinois State University. A few days before I was supposed to leave for my new school, I changed my mind. God had other plans.

“I'm glad I did, or I would have never had these experiences. I may not agree with everything at Olivet, but I don't regret going there for one moment.

"The thing that I most like about Olivet is the people. I have made friendships that will last a lifetime.”