Serena Anagbe / Photo Editor
From left, Michelle Finch and Sue Dungey

Wilfrid Laurier University is celebrating Sue Dungey and her 25 years on the Brantford campus. Dungey has been with the campus since it opened in 1999 and continues to serve Laurier staff and students with a smile. 

Dungey began her career in the service industry working in the basement of what is known as Laurier’s Carnegie building. She ran a sandwich shop named Sue’s Sandwich Bar, where students could be served delicious homemade meals such as caesar wraps, grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese and a full egg and bacon breakfast for only $3.99. 

Dungey’s sandwich shop was prepared entirely from her mother’s recipes, as stated in a previous article published to The Sputnik in 2007 written by Andrea Crummer, a past Laurier student who now works as a marketing and communications coordinator for the university.  

After Sue’s Sandwich Shop, Dungey joined the Students’ Union in 2008 and worked at the Williams Fresh Café in One Market, which was owned by the Students’ Union. This is where she started working with Michelle Finch, the current operations manager at Laurier Brantford.  

“She’s not just a co-worker, but a friend,” said Finch with a smile on her face and one or two tears in her eyes. “If you need something to eat or she knows you’re going through something, Sue always thinks of something to make your day.” 

As described by the former director of hospitality of Laurier, Jeyas Balaskanthan, the two have been attached at the hip since day one.  

“Sue and Michelle are a package,” said Balaskanthan. “We had an ongoing joke that [Dungey’s] like a work mother.” 

Balaskanthan worked with Dungey from 2010-22 and he said he enjoyed all the time he worked with Dungey.  In 2019, Williams Café closed and Dungey went on to work at Laurier’s Golden Grounds under the Students’ Union.

“She’s phenomenal, she’s been and continues to be a great team member,” said Balaskanthan. 

Dungey now works at Laurier’s The Belmont in One Market. While the food she’s serving isn’t her mother’s homemade recipes anymore, she is still recognized by almost every student and faculty on campus for her hospitality towards the community.  

“She’s like that warm, motherly figure you need at university when away from your family,” said Koyal Vyas, the vice president of programming and services at Laurier Brantford. Koyal has worked very closely with Dungey over her time with the Students’ Union. 

From faculty members who knew Dungey since her start at the university in 1999 to incoming first-years, she is a well-known figure within the Laurier community. 

This article was originally published in print Volume 23, Issue 8 on Thursday, April 4.