On Tuesday, Nov 14, DECA hosted a Business Etiquette Dinner in the Convocation Center North Wing Room 9. There has not been an etiquette dinner on campus in several years. In fact, this was the first etiquette dinner hosted after the University merger, as California University of Pennsylvania became one of three sister schools of PennWest.
DECA co-advisors: Dr. Edmund Matecki, Associate Professor of Business, Economics and Communication; and Dr. Mark Lennon, Professor of Innovation and Director of the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, along with the four student DECA officers: President-Sarah Seader, Vice President of Leadership-Jordan Spisak, Vice President of Finance (Treasurer)-Victor Nelson, and Vice President of Chapter Management (Secretary)-Kenzie Nicklow worked all semester to plan this event.
Several club meetings were held to determine the logistics, the dining menu, and selecting the date and time. DECA began by trying to seek sponsorships for this event, both financially and also to increase networking opportunities.
To help enhance experiences that students may encounter in a typical business setting, they were served a four-course meal including: soup, salad, the main course (Chicken Parmesan, Veggie Option: Eggplant Parmesan), and dessert (Fruit-Topped Cheesecake).
Enterprise Mobility was a gracious sponsor for DECA’s Etiquette Dinner. Students were able to network with one of their Talent Acquisition Specialists, Alex Davis. This provided students the occasion to learn about upcoming internship opportunities available through their 2024 Management Trainee Internship Program, as well as several other job openings.
DECA also partnered with PennWest’s Career and Development Center. Rhonda Gifford, the Executive Director of Experiential Learning and Employer Engagement, along with Meaghan Clister who serves as Director of Internships and Experiential Learning at PennWest California were able to provide the guidance necessary to bring this etiquette dinner to fruition.
The Career Center was able to host a presentation as each course was served, offering tips and standard etiquette to follow. It is becoming more common for companies to include a lunch or dinner meal as part of the hiring process, to see how well one is able to handle a social setting or interact with others. This is because the focus is on getting to know the client or candidate, rather than just enjoying the meal!
The presentation also focused on appropriate manners of social practice for this type of setting, an appropriate posture, etiquette of needing to be excused from the table, as well as the appropriate table setting.
During this event, DECA honored the student officers in PennWest Cal’s business clubs on campus, including the Finance Club and the Student Accounting Association. Given the success of the event and the overall positive feedback from students who reported that they enjoyed the event, DECA will definitely be looking to plan a similar event in the future.
