Eat to live, or live to eat? Either way, we all need food to live. It’s a necessity, and no one knows that better than college students. If you live on campus, chances are you already know that a meal plan is mandatory. There is only one exception to this rule: a note from a doctor. Not all notes, however, produce the same outcome.
Chris Bell, director of student financial services, is responsible for managing the student meal plans and food service. Bell explained, “If there’s some medical reason that a student cannot eat at food service, all we ask is a doctor’s letter stating that. Then we would be more than willing to remove them from the food service contract. But there has to be a valid reason.”
Bell cited two distinct reasons for mandatory meal plans. The first of these is the issue of inadequate kitchen space in the dorms. “The idea that you’re going to have 150 students in a building cooking meals all at once is just not feasible,” Bell said.
The other reason for mandatory meal plans is the cost. “We have to maintain a certain level of students to receive the most favorable price for us, which translates into the most favorable price for students,” Bell said. “Unfortunately, our meal costs have gone up significantly. We haven’t translated that cost to what students pay. For 2019, we’re going to have to think about it.” Bell explained that the change from ARAMARK to Sodexo affected the prices of meal plans. “We do have to at least break even.”
When asked about dissatisfaction in the student population, Bell said, “We admit and we recognize that it was a struggle in the beginning, for a number of reasons.”
Bell explained how he handles students who are dissatisfied with the food service. “We work closely with Sodexo to try to encourage them to make sure they’re meeting the students’ needs.” Bell and other members of executive staff try to eat in the cafeteria “at least three or four times a week.” Bell also said, “I hope the students are pleased with the steps that Sodexo has taken to improve the quality of the food. I like to think that’s the case.”
“I think we’re hearing quite a bit. We’re getting a fair amount of feedback from students through that official channel,” Bell said, referring to the Food Service Committee. “They are working quite closely with Ashley (Jackson, food director) and Sodexo to manage the concerns and keep things moving in the right direction.”
The Food Service Committee is organized by students, with Katharine Waldron as the chair. Waldron works closely with Dean of Students Jim Stepp and Bell to ensure that they receive accurate and abundant feedback from the student population.
The committee met on Feb. 1. Stepp, Bell and Jackson were not in attendance. There were seven students there, including Waldron. Two staff members were also present. It was asked that the names of those students present remain anonymous. At the meeting, people made a number of negative comments about the food service Sodexo provided. Such comments included that the food is not being correctly labeled and that the food is not allergy friendly. Several students mentioned the gluten-free cooler in the cafeteria. The cooler contains gluten- free bread, the occasional muffin, butter and little else.
Alyssa Sinclair is a freshman and a resident here. She was present at the committee meeting and gave permission to use her name. Food allergies prevent her from eating a majority of the things served in the cafeteria. “It’s really hard when things aren’t labeled and you’re allergic to things you can’t see,” Sinclair said. Sinclair is allergic to a number of things including: milk, eggs, beef, chicken and pork. Sinclair’s doctor wrote a note concerning her allergies and Sinclair delivered the note to Bell and Stepp. Sinclair’s meal plan was not canceled. Instead Stepp encouraged Sinclair to give the food service a chance.
“I met with Ashley three months ago. She told me she would get dairy-free cheese that night and it still hasn’t happened,” Sinclair said. “It seems like they don’t care. They just want to give us food and push us out.”
Although Sinclair has a valid reason to be exempt from the meal plan, it seems no progress has been made in that direction. “I met with Jim Stepp, the food director (Jackson) and the chef last week. They kept saying they wanted a list of foods I want from them.” Jim Stepp scheduled a follow-up meeting between Sinclair and the chef so that Sinclair could present her list of foods. “The chef didn’t show up to our meeting,” Sinclair said. Sinclair informed Stepp about the situation. Stepp told Sinclair that the chef was waiting for her to get him from the kitchen where he was working.
People at the meeting also made comments questioning the quality of the produce. “Who wants to eat smushy grapes?” One student said, “The salad sometimes tastes like chemicals.”
Cost is an area of concern for students and staff as well. “One of my biggest problems is the cost. I’m staff and I have to pay more than seven dollars for lunch,” and anonymous attendee said.
Waldron recorded all the comments made at the meeting to deliver to Stepp. If you have any questions or comments about your meal plan, you can email Stepp at james.stepp@maine.edu. Stepp would appreciate any feedback you have to offer.
