Is Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee more of a spaghetti and meatballs man, or a fettuccine carbonara aficionado?
By submitting a video, students will have the chance to win an opportunity to host a dinner for Gee.
To participate in the contest, students must submit a video of one minute or less, explaining why they should host the dinner and what they would serve to Gee. The winning students will be notified by May 1 and will be dishing delicacies to Gee on May 18 at 7 p.m. in their home.
The inspiration for the event, organized by the Office of Student Life, was cooking competitions on television, said Taylor Knight, an administrative intern for the Office of Student Life.
“This idea came out of a brainstorming session that a group of student interns organized,” Knight said. “With the current popularity of the Food Network and other cooking shows, we thought this would be a great event for students to be a part of.”
Students were informed of the contest on April 9 with a digital flier, but a small space resulted in the omission of some details. Knight said winning students will submit ingredients they need and the Office of Student Life will buy their groceries. Additionally, there will be an Ohio Union chef available the day of the dinner to assist the winning students.
Knight said the number of winning students is dependent on how many students make the winning video; multiple students can work together to create one video for the contest. Only one video will be selected as the winner, but all participants in the winning video will be considered contest winners.
Once the video has been completed, the video must be emailed to Knight by April 20. Knight said video submissions will be judged by five student interns from the Office of Student Life.
With the contest’s deadline approaching, some finer details remain unclear. Knight said the idea of allowing students to see some or all of the submissions had not been discussed yet. Also, because of Gee’s busy schedule, Knight said she did not know how long Gee would be able to dine until it gets closer to May 18.
For some students, the contest presents a rare opportunity.
“I think it seems more interesting than maybe some of the other options that they’ve had before,” said Alycia Buenger, a third-year in comparative studies. “It seems like a lot of work to have to put together a video and then send it in and have it be judged, but it seems interesting.”
Some students just aren’t that interested.
“I’m more focused on enjoying Spring Quarter and trying to study and get grades up instead of trying to have dinner with Gordon Gee,” said Erik Johnson, a first-year in business.
In an email to The Lantern, Gee discussed the positive aspect of the competition.
“Spending time with students is one of the best aspects of being a university president,” Gee said. “They have a spirit and energy that are infectious, and I am always open for new ways to connect. I am looking forward to the dinner.”
Like Gee, Knight said he realizes the contest is about interaction.
“This is really just a fun, simple way to engage students with Dr. Gee,” Knight said.
