Steaming ovens were humming, and the kitchen was buzzing with laughter and quick movements amongst the staff. In the background, you could hear the clanging of the cutlery against the stainless-steel pots as a whiff of the sizzling vegetables and fried plantains wafted through the air.
The scene was Ferrum College’s Franklin Dining Hall, lively and bustling as Midoven Lormejuste, freshman, had students floating in to eat what was dubbed “The Haitian Station Takeover”.
Lormejuste, a nursing major and student chef, cooked up a heart-warming meal with his Haitian family recipe of Legum and Diri (rice with bean gravy and legume.)
“The gravy is a tough thing to make. You have to really take care of that one,” he said. While he worked, he talked about the dish.
“This ingredient requires way too much stuff,” he joked. “If I ever create a time machine, and I go back in time, I’m gonna have to talk to the person who created this dish. There are just too many steps and too many ingredients.”
The idea for the takeover came about when Lormejuste and Aladdin Food Services Director Levi Briggs were joking around.
“I was going around the dining hall making sure stations were ready for service,” Briggs recalled. “I don’t remember what we were first talking about, but I do remember ‘ML’ (Lormejuste) saying, ‘we should cook Haitian food’, and that rhyme: ‘Haitian Station Takeover’ just jumped into my head.”
Briggs told Lormejuste to pick a dish and bring in the recipe.
“He asked me if I was joking, and I told him, ‘No,’” Briggs said. “I also told him that he would be responsible for cooking the dish. ‘ML’ stepped up and brought me a recipe. Aladdin bought all the items on the list. We talked about his menu, set a date, and he embraced the challenge.”
All in all, Lormejuste felt the meal went over well.
“The reactions that I got were amazing!” he said. “Everyone loved it, and I will definitely do it again. I would wanna do better than the first time. I do have other recipes to share, but I would need to think about it.”
Briggs also felt the event came off smoothly.
“It was a great success,” he said. “We had students trying something new. ‘ML’ did a great job describing and teaching the diners about the recipe’s origin and why that dish was special to him. It opened a door for other students to step up and share food that has meaning to them.”
Jeffrey Maddy, freshman, whose parents are Haitian, also enjoyed the meal and praised its authenticity. “Spot on!” Maddy said. “I wish Ferrum would do more food like this, like cultural food, because it would be much better for other people to experience it.”
The only drawback to the event, Lormejuste said, was in the cutlery. “One thing that I was upset with was people using forks,” he said. “Because we weren’t Americans that day, but Haitians.”
Lormejuste qualified the statement, saying that generally, Haitians don’t use the utensil. “We don’t really use forks because there is no use for it,” he said. “You were to mix everything up and scoop it to your mouth.”
Traditionally, he said, people use either spoons or their hands. “It depends on your class in society,” he said.
The “class in society” and growing up in Haiti helped him choose the path of being in the medical field, Lormejuste said.
“I saw that health was the biggest issue we have–and poverty. I was like, ‘You know what? If I ever have the chance to do better, I need to have the knowledge of being in the medical (field), and hopefully one day, I can go back home and share that knowledge.’ That would make a big impact,” he said.
Meanwhile, the current avenue for getting back home is achieved through the international cooking.
“My hope is that the student is transported back to fond memories, and it shows that we care about them,” Briggs said. “This is one of the wonderful things about America—people come from all over the world and proudly share aspects of their culture.”
Lormejuste agreed. “I was happy with how the meal came out,” he said. “It tasted like home.”
Article written by Refentse Maselwa and submitted courtesy of The Iron Blade. Maselwa is a freshman from Pretoria, South Africa, who is majoring in accounting with a minor in journalism.
For Bryan Slater, every day is Labor Day.
But it’s not a holiday.
Slater (Ferrum ’82) was recently tapped by Virginia Governor Glen Youngkin to be the Commonwealth’s Secretary of Labor.
The appointment came on Jan. 6, accompanied by a ringing endorsement from the Virginia’s Head of State.
“Workforce development will play a crucial part of jumpstarting our economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Youngkin said upon selecting Slater. “Bryan’s experience and leadership will be critical to the development of talent, training of workers, and protection of Virginia’s right-to-work laws that will attract investment to Virginia. Bryan will be a key partner in fixing the Virginia Employment Commission and delivering results for the Commonwealth.”
Slater brings a wealth of experience to the governor’s administration.
He served as Secretary of Administration for Governor James Gilmore (R-VA) and as Director of Administration for the Attorney General’s Office under Attorney General James Gilmore.
He also was the White House Liaison at the U.S. Department of Labor under President George W. Bush, where he managed all non-career appointee hiring, and as a congressional relations officer for the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President George H.W. Bush.
Most recently, he served as Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management at the U.S. Department of Labor and Assistant Secretary of Administration for the U.S. Department of Transportation under President Trump.
It’s now been barely a month since Slater got the nod, and already his docket is full, as the General Assembly has been in session, and he has been pulled in multiple directions. Still, he took time to reflect upon his time on campus.
“The foundation for my career began at Ferrum,” he said. “It’s where I got involved in politics and where my interest in government and politics began.”
As Slater reminisced about Panther life, his thoughts turned toward some of his former professors.
“Dedicated faculty members like Richard Smith, Doug Foard, Sasha Saari, and others took the time to get to know me as a person, as well as a student,” he said. “Their guidance and mentorship made a significant difference in my life.”
Former classmate Carthan F. Currin (Ferrum ’84) and president of The Virginia College Fund, spent quite a bit of time on campus with Slater.
“I first met Bryan in an honors western civilization class taught by Dr. Richard Smith in 1980, and from those early days at Ferrum, Bryan has enjoyed a stellar career in public service, having served two Virginia governors, and three United States presidents,” Currin said. “The foundation that Ferrum provided was the key for Bryan’s success in his career and life.”
And now, after more than 20 years in politics, Slater still credits Ferrum as the kick start to his career.
“Ferrum gave me a chance to prove myself. If it hadn’t been for Ferrum, none of this would have been possible,” he said. That same possibility is an opportunity he hopes to create by paying it forward.
“I want to make sure that others can enjoy the benefits of a Ferrum education that I received,” Slater said. “My parents were hard-working, blue-collar folks, and I feel fortunate to be in a position to make sure current Ferrum students have the same opportunities that I had during my time there.”
Article written and contributed by Assistant Professor of English & Journalism David B. Campbell.
1/27/2022
We will be hosting a mobile vaccine and booster clinic on February 9 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the commuter lot. In order for the Virginia Department of Health to know which vaccines and boosters to stock, please sign up for an appointment for the appropriate vaccine below. This is open to the public, we welcome family members and friends to sign up as well.
If not vaccinated and/or boosted, we encourage you to get the shot. Individuals who are up to date in their vaccinations/boosters are not required to quarantine if they are in close contact with a COVID positive individual.
Thank you for wearing your facemask at all times in doors, quarantining when feeling symptoms, keeping your distance, and washing your hands. It takes all of us working together to protect the health and safety of our community. As always, reach out if you have any questions or concerns about our COVID-19 mitigation efforts on campus.
Stay healthy!
Angie Dahl, Ph.D.
Vice President of Student Development and Campus Life
Associate Professor of Psychology
Ferrum College
Roberts 15
Ferrum, VA 24088
(540)365-4404
