Students need better service meal
Campus Times
November 22, 1996
Cartoon by Stephanie Lesniak
To write another editorial about food services at La Verne may seem unfair.
It may seem counterproductive. It may, most of all, seem repetitive. But
it is necessary. Most students, whether they live on or off campus, utilize
food services on a daily basis. Many depend on Davenport or The Spot for
three meals a day and snacks. They do not expect home cooking. They do not
expect gourmet meals. But they do expect food that meets their needs. And
those needs are not being met.
This is not an editorial about overcooked eggs or undercooked meat. It is
not about the exorbitant prices of dining in Davenport and The Spot, or
about the cockroach someone's friend's sister's roommate saw run across
the salad bar last week. These are common complaints, and they are probably
valid to some students while they mean nothing to others.
This editorial addresses the more universal problems of students on special
diets and others who find that the meal plan does not suit them. These are
the students who are finding it hard to eat each and every day.
First, students at La Verne are offered the option of 12 or 19 meals a week.
This means that, if a student decides to skip breakfast for four days on
a 19 meal plan, he is paying for two meals he did not eat. Even worse, if
a student is hungry for a full 21 meals a week and has no means of leaving
the campus or paying out of his pocket for an extra meal, he will go hungry.
This complaint has nothing to do with the quality of food or service in
either Davenport or The Spot, but rather with those who determine how many
meals the standard meal plans cover. Some schools offer a variety of choices.
The Claremont Colleges offer 10, 14, 19 or 21-meal plans. Cal State Northridge
offers three plans of either 10, 15 or 19 meals a week. Why can't La Verne
do the same? At one time, ULV offered the choice of 10, 14 or 20 per week.
In particular, some students may need to be on a special diet for personal
or medical reasons.
It certainly is not up to Aramark to make a special meal for each student
who requests one. This would obviously be time-consuming and difficult.
However, little is done currently to accommodate students with any special
dietary needs.
Currently, if a student is on a restrictive medical or weight-loss diet,
he must turn in a specific menu, complete with recipes, to Aramark. Then
he must give 24 hours notice if he is not going to show up for a meal that
he has ordered for his diet. No deciding to join friends at a restaurant.
No deciding, last-minute, to commute home for dinner. If a student orders
a special meal, he must give 24 hours notice, or pay for the food and forfeit
the meal.
This is, of course, assuming that Aramark is able to procure the necessary
ingredients. Because Aramark buys University food in bulk, it is unable
to buy all the ingredients necessary for all individual meals. Some students
have had to resort to paying for their own groceries in addition to their
meal plan. This is costly and it goes against the theory of having a meal
plan in the first place. In fairness, Aramark tries to keep a variety of
ingredients on stock to keep this from happening. However, it should be
completely unnecessary.
One obvious solution for this problem would be to offer housing without
a mandatory meal plan. The Claremont Colleges and CSUN offer this service.
Currently, ULV does not. Even if a student is on a medical diet, and provides
a doctor's note, it is decided on a case-by-case basis whether he will be
able to forgo a meal plan.
ULV could also offer community kitchens in the residence halls, so students
could prepare their own meals. Schools such as Pepperdine University have
tried this with some success. Microwave ovens and an electric stove in Stu-Han
are the only kitchen facilities currently available at ULV.
Food services at ULV do provide La Verne students with three meals a day.
But, as with any service that is utilized daily, fulfilling a basic need
is not enough. Aramark should strive to make sure that each and every ULV
student is satisfied with both their product and their service.