Now's our chance.
For years, UAF students buying meal plans have complained about campus dining. Some of us, disgusted by the meat and cheese in Lola Tilly's hamburgers, pizza, and lasagna, took up eating Cheerio's for dinner. Others found themselves paying an extra $500 or so a semester at Fred Meyer because they felt the $1,295 spent on campus dining wasn't giving them quality food. In my case, I just moved out of the dorms after realizing I literally couldn't finish a meal in Lola Tilly without feeling sick.
We have a chance to do something about it this year. As the Sun Star is reporting this week, Sodexho Marriott/NANA's food contract expires in June. The company wants to keep serving students, but to do that, it has to compete against at least two rival bidders, Aramark and Chartwells.
At normal, the university administration will look primarily at cost when picking its food contractor. And that's fine. After all, if UAF has to pay more for food, the administration would likely pass the extra cost onto consumers, or students in our case.
But that doesn't mean food quality won't be an issue. UAF administrators are trying to make sure the new contract provides better services to students. And the only way they'll know what we hate is if we tell them.
There are several venues to voice your concerns. First, try the obvious agency -- Dining Services. Its job is supposed to be to ensure the campus food is good. If you see a problem, write them about it. Send them a letter or an e-mail. Heck, even just fill out one of those comment forms lying around the dining area. Just make sure your complaint is documented. Paper speaks louder than words in the world of bureaucracy.
There's also the Food Service Advisory Board. It's made up of both students and dining officials. And, since the name does imply it gives advice, the committee probably wouldn't mind knowing what you want fixed next year. This committee was also one of the key players in the last round of food contract bidding.
Another route is the student government. Last year, ASUAF formed the Food for Thought Committee. At the moment, it has no members and hence no meetings, but ASUAF itself would be glad to hear your concerns. Ask the student senators to pass a resolution addressing the problems with campus dining. That'll catch someone's attention. And if you're really bold, you might even move up the ladder to the other governance groups, such as the Faculty Senate and the Staff Council. After all, they have to eat here too occasionally.
Finally, you can always write us a letter to the editor. I'll happily print them, like I do with any letter.
The point is we should realize this year isn't like the others when it comes to campus dining. Big money is in play this year. Sodexho's current contract was valued at $30 million in 2000. And to keep that money flowing, campus chefs are going to bend over backwards to please us.
This is our chance. All we've got to do is take it.
