President R. Gerald Turner and Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. K.C. Mmeje paid an unannounced visit to the dining hall on Nov. 2. They selected four students in Umphrey Lee dining hall to sit with them for lunch.

Students Marian Perez, Jackie Gonzales, Gianna Esquivel and Dylan Caputo found the opportunity exciting and deeply engaged in the conversation.

President Turner and Dr. Mmeje’s monthly eat-and-walk serves as a chance for them to check in and hear from the students.

“We don’t often have the opportunity to catch up with the students informally,” Mmeje said.

Each month, the pair joins students in one of the on-campus dining halls for a meal, and then walks around campus to engage with the community. Their October visit was rescheduled due to scheduling conflicts, so they were happy to grab lunch in Umphrey Lee early November.

President Turner expressed that he enjoys these moments with the students.

“I’ve done it the whole time I was here,” Turner said.

He will continue these monthly drop-ins with Dr. Mmeje.

“We’ll be back for Thanksgiving in November,” Turner said.

If you catch the pair in the dining hall or around campus, be sure to say hi. It’ll make their day.