Due to increasing health consciousness and even more recent concern about food-borne illness after a nationwide E. coli outbreak, students have become more and more critical of the food they eat every day. Those who are vegetarians and/or vegans are particularly concerned about the contents of their food and have long been offering suggestions to Dining Services about how best to accommodate their needs.
In order to better address the concerns of all students, Director of Dining Services Pat Niles attempted to form a student advisory board to address dining concerns. He envisioned a diverse group representing all sorts of different interests, opinions and tastes in food.
In addition to participating in regular meetings, students on the board would act as “secret shoppers” of sorts, testing the food and reporting their findings to Dining Services. If fruit was overripe one day, meat was overcooked, or there simply wasn’t enough of something, the right people would hear about it and address the problem.
This group was far into the planning stages last year, and a proposal was even brought before the Student Welfare Committee to get formal recognition as a student committee. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the process stopped there and the group was never officially formed. Niles hopes to bring the issue before Student Welfare again this year, as he feels there was enough interest last year to generate an effective group.
With planning for the Campus Center very much underway, it is more important than ever that students give input about what they do and don’t like to eat. Dining Services will eventually be relocated to the Campus Center and reworked to accommodate diverse dietary needs and tastes. In order for this transition to be effective, student input is essential.
Students interested in giving input or participating in the new Dining Services Advisory Board should contact the Student Welfare Committee and express their interest in getting the group formed as soon as possible. Lawrentians are fortunate to be a part of a close-knit community where Dining Services can literally cater to student needs and requests. The only problem occurs when these requests are not communicated effectively, and a Student Advisory Board would certainly help improve the dining experience at Lawrence.
Staff Editorial
