As the new WSA representative on the dining committee, I have been attempting to solve the perennial conundrum of student dissatisfaction with on-campus food. Although some progress has been made after speaking with many students, administrators, and Aramark representatives, there is still much more work to be done; and if we want greater change, we need greater student participation in the process. That is why this week the WSA will inaugurate the first ever Dining Accountability Week.
Dining Accountability Week is not about blame or finger-pointing, but about finding dining areas that students overwhelmingly agree need change and specifically what those changes should be in order to have a positive dining experience at Wesleyan. Dining workers on campus do an incredible job. This week is not about them but about the system in place and how it can be altered to best benefit everyone involved.
From Monday April 4th through Sunday April 10th, we will hold dining services accountable to student needs. Whenever you visit an on-campus dining establishment and experience anything that reflects poorly on this University or its dining program, simply e-mail wsa@wesleyan.edu with your name, as well as the date, time, place, and a brief description of the incident. Problems can include everything from mediocre lunch options and extremely long lines to food shortages and a lack of quality ingredients. You can also drop off a written explanation of the incident in Dining Accountability Week boxes located in the Campus Center, MoCon, and Summerfields. At the end of the week, the WSA Student Affairs Committee will compile the list of student dining concerns so that there is a tangible record of a week’s worth of student issues with campus dining.
Improvements to dining are difficult because of the lack of information available on what students want; however, if students participate in Dining Accountability Week, that ambiguity could be replaced by a clear mandate to improve specific dining facilities. If the students on the dining committee, who represent over 2,700 students, have an enumerated record of dining problems to refer to at meetings, then the student dining voice will become much more powerful than before.
On the one hand, Dining Accountability Week is a risk. If there is low participation and few incidents are reported, then administrators and dining services can correctly conclude that dining on campus is excellent and students are satisfied. If, on the other hand, there is a huge turnout with every dining problem recorded, then the dining committee can establish a powerful foundation for instituting real change. Next week, the future of campus dining depends on all of us. Please participate in Dining Accountability Week and encourage all of your friends to do the same.
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