Cate nominated for outstanding thesis at Walton Honors commencement
Author: Cate Mertins | Major: Accounting and Food Science | Semester: Spring 2023
My name is Cate Mertins, and I just graduated in May 2023 with a double major in accounting in the Walton College of Business and food science in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, and Life Sciences. I spent the Spring 2023 semester wrapping up my research about food recovery and its potential for expansion into Greek life houses on campus with the help of my WCOB faculty mentor, Molly Rapert. Starting in June, I will begin working at Colgate-Palmolive as an analyst.
When I took introduction to food law to fulfill a credit for my food science degree in 2020, I learned about the Bill Emerson Food Donation Act of 1996, which provides civil and criminal liability protection for anyone or any business that makes food donations to nonprofits, also known as food recovery. It was incredibly frustrating to also learn that many business owners refuse to donate extra food because they still hold the misconception that doing so is a liability for them or their company. I was intrigued in learning more about food recovery around me, and I discovered the VAC’s food recovery partnership with dining halls on campus. I then started questioning where all the extra food from my own sorority house, and then other Greek chapter houses, was going.
My research sought to explore what opportunities lied in Greek life facilities for food recovery at the UofA and other universities across the nation. The research design was a combination of student surveys, in-depth interviews with key food system stakeholders (such as house chefs, catering companies, and VAC leaders), and website audits of other SEC schools. The goal was to have an understanding of student perceptions of food waste, obstacles that prevent stakeholders from supporting sustainability initiatives, and what resources would be required to expand food recovery into Greek dining facilities on campus.
Research in the Spring semester was a bit more intensive and hands-on than in the fall, as I was conducting one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders in food recovery and Greek life housing, as well as analyzing the survey data and writing the actual thesis manuscript. My advice to future students, which I heard over and over but did not heed, is to finish as much of your thesis as you can in the fall semester. Being a second semester senior, even beyond “senioritis,” is a busy job, and preparing for graduation and plans afterward takes more time than you would think. I am so thankful that my advisor had me complete so much of my manuscript before winter break, because when I went to put everything together in April, it was relieving to have so much of it already written.
The conclusion of my research was rewarding and hopefully will be impactful. I was able to describe a near-comprehensive picture of the past and present of food recovery at the University of Arkansas, at Greek chapter houses on our campus, and at other SEC schools, as well as provide a blueprint for future students to design a practical, sustainable system for Greek life food recovery on campus. Additionally, I was honored to be nominated for the Outstanding Honors Thesis award in the Walton College of Business. I am so grateful to the University of Arkansas Honors College for the funding that made this research possible. I would also like to thank Dr. Molly Rapert for being my unwavering support and the Volunteer Action Center for inspiring this work.