ISU President Gregory Geoffroy announced that ISU Dining would continue to manage Iowa State’s food services rather than awarding management to a private contractor on Tuesday.

Geoffroy said he appreciates “the input committee members and I received from members of the campus community and beyond. Clearly, this is an issue a lot of people are passionate about.”

ISU Dining employees said they are relieved their jobs won’t be outsourced to private management.

Anna Danneman, manager of the Design Cafe, said she’s worked for ISU Dining for 10 years. She said knowing the management won’t change is a relief.

“I’m pretty much pleased with the organization as a whole, as far as allowing us our unique niche on this part of campus,” she said. “I don’t think any of the companies who were bidding would have made an improvement in the circumstance for employees or our customers.”

The potential for losing student employees was a concern throughout the evaluation process, Danneman said.

“We were worried about the potential of losing student employees,” she said. “Even though [private companies] promised this wouldn’t happen, it happened at other places.”

Matthew Horan, who works at the Business Cafe in the Gerdin Business Building, said he was glad ISU Dining would continue to manage food service on campus.

“I was worried that I was going to have a new manager, I guess. I like my manager,” he said.

Horan, senior in marketing, said he believes ISU Dining now knows it will have to be aware of private competition.

“They know they have to keep up with what the other people that have offered [bids], or do better,” he said. “I think that [keeping ISU Dining] will have a positive effect.”

Andrew Schmidt, who works at the Design Cafe, said he’s pleased that there will be no changes in ISU Dining’s management.

“I think everybody is happy around here about it,” he said. “[The search committee] showed us it was good loyalty and everybody’s glad it came through.”

Schmidt, senior in pre-architecture, said he likes the convenience of working at the Design Cafe.

“It’s close to all my classes and I can work if I have a little gap between classes,” he said. “I can work instead of doing nothing for two hours.”

Rachel Vorm, who also works at the Design Cafe, said she’s glad with the outcome.

“I’m happy that it’s not going to be corporate, just for the fact that we’ve already made a family here and know everyone,” said Vorm, sophomore in graphic design. “[Working here is] a lot more personal – if it was some sort of company that came in here, working would be a lot different and worse.”

Lindzee Newsom, who works at the MU Cafe, said she didn’t really care whether ISU Dining would be privatized.

“It really doesn’t affect me either way, because I am graduating in May,” said Newsom, senior in psychology.