Everything Nac

As COVID-19 vaccinations arrive in Nacogdoches, students from Stephen F. Austin State University’s DeWitt School of Nursing are lining up to help administer the vaccine to community members.

Fourth-semester nursing students from the community health course administered doses of the Moderna vaccine provided by Brookshire Brothers Pharmacy to approximately 450 pre-registered participants. The School of Nursing partnered with Nacogdoches County and the City of Nacogdoches to work the walk-through clinic.

“We have a phenomenal relationship with the city and the county,” said Michelle Klein, clinical instructor in the School of Nursing. “The responsive leadership, respect for each other, open communication, and sharing of ideas allows us to be most effective in identifying and meeting the needs of our community. For our nursing students, these relationships allow them to actively participate in improving health and to see the difference they can make.”

Students in the School of Nursing are extensively trained on how to give injections from their first semester and participate in a fall flu vaccination clinic each year through a partnership with the East Texas Community Health Services. As more COVID-19 vaccines are allotted to Nacogdoches, the School of Nursing hopes to be of assistance with additional large-scale vaccination opportunities.

“I am so proud of our faculty and students in the DeWitt School of Nursing as they volunteer their time to administer COVID-19 vaccines,” said Dr. Kimberly Childs, dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics. “True to our commitment as a community-engaged university, faculty and student nurses are stepping up to meet the needs of the community. Together, we will protect our community as we strive to prevent the spread.”

To learn more about the School of Nursing, visit sfasu.edu/nursing.

Spring semester ticket sales for Stephen F. Austin State University’s student-run Culinary Café and Lumberjack Express mobile food lab will open at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan.15, with service on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Feb. 16.

Patrons must follow the COVID-19 drive-thru and walk-up procedures. Physical distancing will be required, and seating is limited on the Education Annex building’s patio.

For pickup orders, a server will ask you to verify your name and order quantity. If you’re picking up meals for other reservation holders, have all names available. Your meal will include bottled water and utensils.

The Culinary Café, a fine-dining restaurant, will be open from noon to 1 p.m. Drive-thru meals can be picked up in the Education Annex building’s drive-thru portico located at 1620 Raguet St. For walk-up service, pick up your meals at the purple tent in front of the Education Annex’s north entrance.

Lumberjack Express, a quick-service food truck, will be open from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pick up orders at the Lumberjack Express by Education Annex Parking Lot No. 15 on campus. Reservations are highly recommended, but walk-up orders can be purchased with credit card only. Each meal is $8, and only 60 meals will be sold.

Despite COVID-19’s effects on the restaurant business, hospitality administration students working in the Culinary Café and Lumberjack Express were able to prepare delicious meals while gaining hands-on experience during the fall semester because of the support from the Nacogdoches and SFA communities.

“We couldn’t have made it through the fall without their help,” said Dr. Chay Runnels, professor of hospitality administration and interim director of SFA’s School of Human Sciences. “Their support helped our students gain real-world experience and achieve numbers comparable to those we saw before the pandemic hit even with our scaled-back schedules.”

Culinary Café served 762 meals in the fall despite a reduced campus population and one less week of service. The café usually serves around 925 meals a semester. Lumberjack Express served 713 meals during the fall, including two private events. The mobile food lab usually serves around 750 meals each semester.

Construction on the future location of Culinary Café at 1401 Mound St., previously the home of former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, also continues this semester. The $1.5 million renovation will preserve the 1920 home’s historic nature and add a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen and prep area to give students experience working in a more realistic fine-dining restaurant setting.

The first phase of construction for the kitchen and prep area is scheduled to be complete by early spring.

View menus and purchase tickets at sfasu.edu/culinarycafe and sfasu.edu/lumberjackexpress. For more information, call (936) 468-4502. To learn more about SFA’s hospitality administration program, visit sfasu.edu/hospitality.

By Jo Gilmore, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.