They say, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you”. Well VSU didn’t bite that hand, but it will send it away and hire a new one.   After five years of serving as the primary food vendor for VSU, Sodexo’s contract was not renewed. Starting in May, Chartwells will take over serving the campus’ food.

  According to Sodexo General Manager, Rich Yokeley, “VSU exercised their ability to rebid on the five year contract, and under the scoring system a different vendor scored higher.”   That different vendor is Chartwells. Chartwells also services South Georgia Medical Center, Valdosta’s regional referral hospital.

 “The transition will be a slow one,” Adrian Gibson, Student Government Association vice president, said.

 According to Operations Director, Amanda Peterson, with the exception of some management positions, all VSU Sodexo employees will have to reapply for their respective jobs. 
 Not all Sodexo employees feel their jobs are in danger.

 “I don’t think many people will lose their position,” Shauna Mikell, a Catering banquet server, said. “I am confident that everyone that currently works under Sodexo will be rehired, especially the student workers, barring a few department heads that work directly for the Sodexo company. I am actually very excited about the future possibilities this management change could bring.”

 One Sodexo employee wasn’t so welcoming to the change, “I think it’s sad that Sodexo is being bought out like this,” Brian Gonzales, Catering Supervisor, said. “This change has been brought about solely for financial reasons. They’ve done a great job over the last couple of years and have definitely been consistent with their progress on campus.”