Students Shaping Campus Dining
From running a student run restaurant to advocating for better food policies, our student leaders are the driving force behind Dining Services innovation.
DSAC Student President
Liam Gokey
Liam is a sophomore studying Language and Culture in Dietrich College with a minor in Business Administration. He has been an active participant in DSAC since the beginning of his freshman year. Liam has been a lover of food ever since he could barely see over the bottom of the cheese case at the grocery store. He has a passion for diverse cuisine and wants each diner to feel they can find the right plate for them on campus. Liam is passionate about bringing the best CMU dining experience to each and every table. Contact Liam
DSAC Meetings Fall Semester 2026-2027
- Mon September 21, 2026 from 5:00-6:00pm, Danforth Conference Room
- Mon October 19, 2026 from 5:00-6:00pm, Connan Room
- Mon November 16, 2026 from 5:00-6:00pm, Connan Room
- Mon November 30, 2026 from 5:00-6:00pm, Connan Room
Mission
Our mission is to provide an open dialogue between students and dining services to voice the growth they would like to see and what offerings are important to them.
DSAC Goals
- Provide students with an easy way to share feedback on their campus dining experience
- To take action on the discussions we have and the feedback we get
- Ensure we provide an open, easy, and collaborative space for discussions about CMU dining
Previous Projects
Spring 2024 Meal Plan Subcommittee
In Spring 2024, Director of Dining Joe Beaman tasked the DSAC to analyze the current state of CMU dining and explore potential alternatives to the meal plan structure. A comprehensive report was generated by a subcommittee including student government leaders from Senate, Graduate Student Assembly, and Student Dormitory Council. Read the report DSAC Meal Plan Analysis
Secret Shopper Initiative
Launched in the Fall of 2024, the Secret Shopper Initiative gathers live student reviews of CMU dining locations. DSAC members, serving as "Secret Shoppers," use two meal blocks on campus and then provide feedback on their dining experiences.
Spring 2025 Pulse Survey
To support the 2024-2025 DSAC goal of increasing student feedback opportunities, we piloted a 30-second meal satisfaction survey in Spring 2025. We distributed 100 table tents equipped with QR codes across campus for easy access.
Request for Proposals (RFP)
Dining Services engages students in the RFP process to select new vendors for campus. DSAC members participated in the RFPs for recent additions, such as Scotty's Market, Stack'd, Redhawk, and Defer.
Collaboration with CMU Eats
The DSAC is currently working with CMU Eats to enhance the availability of information for students with dietary restrictions.
Coffee Ambassador Program
it possible.
There’s no doubt that college campuses run on coffee. According to a national survey conducted
by Grand Canyon University in 2025, coffee was by far students’ preferred source for caffeine,
outranking energy drinks, soda, and tea. Whether you’re hunkering down in La Prima for a study
session, or grabbing a quick cup in between classes at the Zebra Lounge, there’s no shortage of
options on campus for your daily dose of caffeine. But what does it really mean to drink coffee?
Is it just another way to get through the week, or can it be a way to connect with friends amidst a
hectic schedule? And what, exactly, goes into each cup?
As CMU’s inaugural Coffee Ambassador, I hope to help students explore these questions and
build a coffee culture that reflects the collaboration, sustainability, and creativity at the heart of
our university.
For me, coffee has always been about personal identity and family history. Growing up as the
daughter of proud Honduran immigrants, I can’t remember a family gathering without the
comforting smell of coffee grounds and the warmth of a mug in between my hands. For most of
my life, I took this experience for granted, never fully realizing just how much it meant to me
until I was 900 miles away from everything I knew and desperately missing home. That
perspective began to shift when I enrolled in Coffee and Capitalism with Professors John Soluri
and Saurin Nanavati during the spring of my junior year. Thanks to some incredible lectures,
mentorship, and encouragement, I dove headfirst into the world of coffee and began to see the
drink I grew up with in an entirely new way.
We have some pretty big plans for coffee at CMU, and I really can’t wait to share them with you
all. My hope is that these programs will inspire students to slow down, smell the coffee, and
reconnect with the people, stories, and livelihoods behind each cup. There’s no real precedent for
this role—it’s truly first-of-its-kind—but I think that’s what makes it so exciting. I get to learn
alongside my fellow students, build something new, and explore just how powerful coffee can
be. Ultimately, I hope we can transform the way we think about coffee at CMU, from something
we simply consume into something that connects us to one another and to the world beyond our
campus.
Coffee Ambassador
Angie Reyes-Meza
