A Cautionary Tale from a College Disaster: Fight For Your Right to Feast

February 19, 2009 2:00 pm     Posted in Reality  Charlsie Niemiec g+ page

saladbarNearly every first year student worries about putting on the dreaded “freshman fifteen” upon entering college, which makes the dining hall and food options offered by a university a major focal point of conversation among its student body. While most colleges across the nation have a variety of options in their dining hall and the students are satisfied, a lot of colleges simply suck in the food programs they provide for their students. However, while those programs may not be ideal for the student body, administrations often work with students to get insight into creating better menus, offering more variety, and improving overall healthiness of the food.


By Charlsie Niemiec

My university is not one of those schools that eagerly works to improve the situation in the dining hall, even though it is overwhelmingly a huge issue on campus.

From day one, I have heard nothing but complaints from my peers, and even my professors – and now, two and a half years later, complaints and concerns of the dining program (created by Sodexho – a program which works with many schools across the nation) still circulate on a day-to-day basis.

As a campus, Hollins students are indisputably guilty for interminable complaining about the issues with Sodexho as a program and the administration taking responsibility (or lack thereof) for student concerns over food issues, but I don’t blame anyone for their incessant pressure on trying to improve the situation. Hollins doesn’t offer a varying meal plan; its unlimited access to the dining hall from breakfast until the cafeteria closes at 7pm binds students to the meal-plan, making getting off the meal plan nearly impossible.

I have seen a huge variety of issues that students have brought up to the public forum: not enough variety in the menu options, foods not being cooked at right temperatures or having a decent amount of heat to them (especially the meat), alike foods such as quesadillas and burgers are in rotation every day (French fries are offered every day, too), no options for vegans except tofu in the salad bar (and very futile options available for vegetarians – especially at a school where vegetarians are a majority), unhealthy options clutter the stations (one night, three types of potatoes were offered: waffle fries, curly fries, and tatter tots), the ingredients on the labels are not present (what about students who have food allergies?), and most of the time, labels are not even put out near a station.

These are just the minimal grumbles that have been brought up over and over again within the student body, and no one from the administration or the manager of the dining hall ever really gives a solid answer on how to fix the program. The few times promises are made to make a change in the dining hall, nothing ever happens.

Many students have tried to jump start programs. For example, last year some students started a petition to get cage-free eggs instead of regular eggs on campus. I believe nearly 500 students signed it (in a school of 800), but the petition was ignored. How can 500 students be ignored? Students tried starting a food committee, but that didn’t last for long – no one seemed interested in taking on the responsibility, especially when everyone knows that the administration has no interest in really making changes. The Health Department has even been called before, and that wasn’t enough to jump start any movement. Honestly, I think students feel like nothing can be done – especially since everyone on campus knows that a contract was signed between Hollins and Sodexho a few years ago, making the partnership inevitable. The contract seems more important than the well-being of the students, at this point.

Although many point to Sodexho, I do not think all the blame can fall on the national food company. Many other universities use Sodexho, but they have no qualms about what their students are being served and neither do the students. The plan Hollins picked is not pleasing students, at all, and that needs to be addressed by those who have the power. Hello administration, are you listening yet? It seems like the only people who could do something are the administration, but I don’t think they care. After all, they don’t have to eat there night after night.

While the rest of the students have numerous complaints, I specifically have two:

My friend’s mothers who went here talk with smiles on their face about the food. They absolutely loved it, and it seems like it was such a coveted memory of long meals with their friends eating some good meals. Now, students rush to eat what they can (if anything, especially on weekends) and then compare food poisoning stories with their friends. In honor of our amazing alumni that Hollins toots so often, why not fix something that was so popular? Also, I think it is ironic how the food improves drastically whenever alumni, Board of Trustee members, or prospective students visit campus. Fondue and prime rib was served during Parents Weekend once, and I have to say, I haven’t seen either one since.

Whether or not it seems like it, food is a huge part of college life. If you live on campus, you eat there like it’s your home. No one should fret about whether or not they will have adequate options for dinner or if they will get sick from the Ranch Dressing that tasted more like spoiled milk.  While my fellow peers have said enough is enough over and over again, I think change will not come until the administration does something. And based on the way the administration has handled things in the past, I don’t see that happening any time soon.

Now, tell me about your dining hall. Do you love it or hate it? Does it stand out from other schools across the nation? Do you think the administration at your university is conscious of the food that its students consume on a daily basis? I want to know what (kind of crap) you are getting fed by both the dining hall and the administration.

25 Comments on "A Cautionary Tale from a College Disaster: Fight For Your Right to Feast"

  1. Jess says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 20099:17 am 

    My school's dining system is also run by Sodexho and I think our food is pretty good. Burgers and fries are served daily for lunch and dinner, but there's always a variety of other foods to eat. I don't pay attention to the vegetarian/vegan foods but I know they're there- it's just the section I don't go to, haha. I'm pretty sure one of the groups on campus is working on getting food contents put up and marking which are the healthy choices.

    What most people have the biggest problem with our dining system is that they did away with trays. Only a few people complain about the food.

  2. d says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 20099:28 am 

    i go to guilford college and we used to have sodexho and our student body is super proactive so we got ours changed. we now have meriwether godsey and they are out of lynchburg so it is pretty local to here which is nice. they try to be organic and use foods that are in season and it is overall really awesome. previously guilford had been ranked as one of the worst in the nation foodwise… now i'd say we are one of the best. hollins should definitely look into meriwether godsey

  3. LeesePiece says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 20099:39 am 

    I also has Sodexho at my college. The food was great. We had a pasta bar, salad bar and salad chef, a sandwich deli type thing, stir fry bar, a short order kitchen, and of course the classics bar. I really liked the food, however towards the end of the year we were sick of it. There were always plenty of vegan options as well.

  4. Charlsie - Hollins U says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 20099:41 am 

    Hearing stories about Sodexho at other colleges always blows my mind because it varies so immensely that I can't wrap my head around the company.

    D, your program sounds fabulous. Congrats on your college being so proactive in making a change about it.

  5. Matthew says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 200910:13 am 

    Idk what service my school has but we have a fair number of options for meal plans and food. Our dining hall is pretty much a freshman thing but even then it is good food. I can't believe that you often go to your food hall and turn away in disgust at the fact that there is nothing edible. The school should be extremly concerned with the food for its students. Their health and wellbeing should be on the top of the administration's list. Seeing as it is not, and even when the students sign a petition, I think it is time for the Board or parents to get involved. Keep the column coming, it is great.

  6. Sam says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 200910:38 am 

    OMG!!! My university has Sodexho, too. They aren't very good. They overprice EVERYTHING!! And I mean everything. Sometimes the food is okay. The managers, they are assholes.

  7. Brittney says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 200911:05 am 

    I go to University of Michigan and our food here is decent.

    I'm a sophomore, and there are often special meal nights where they try out different things. Sometimes they are epic fails (like recently African-American heritage dinner with FRIED CHICKEN and greens haha)

    Their attempt with sushi was a fail. It didn't even look like sushi, or taste like it.

    There have been really nice dinners like last year where my dining hall that was closing down had two special "farewell dinners" the food was soooo good!

    They built a new dining center that opened up this year that has really mixed reviews. some just love it! My friends and I actually hate it. The construction and flow of the building sucks. There are always long lines for food. We get chicken almost everyday, and what feels like chinese food everyday. lol

    They closed down three smaller dining halls for this, so it's a little upsetting to see what the hype of this gran dining center would be.

    We do get our voices heard by writing out comment cards to put into a suggestion box. I actually work in the dining hall of one dorm and know there are times where workers will simply throw away the comment cards if they weren't put into the box, so the system for that is corrupt.

    There are people you can go talk to if you're interested in learning how to eat well in the dining hall. I've gone a few times and it was really helpful. My gripe with the new dining hall is that it's so big, i think they forget to put the nutrition cards out for food. There've been times where food cards for a totally different food was placed. So this is difficult if you're vegan or have allergies, because you don't know what's in it!!

    Overall, like I said. Our dining services are decent.

  8. Paul says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 200912:56 pm 

    Georgia Tech's dining halls are so bad, I dropped the meal plan after mine expired at the end of freshman year. 1100 for meals in a semester? On someone else's schedule? With someone else's menu? I decided to learn to cook. Still working on that.

  9. Paul says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 200912:57 pm 

    Also, very greasy…. mostly pizza, burgers, "melts". Very little that's quick AND healthy. But we do have vegan foods, and I think there's Kosher and Halal food as well.

  10. Alex says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 20091:37 pm 

    My school also has Sodexho. The food and serivce are extremely bad. We barely get any variation in meals. The only thing that changes is the main special section. Everything else is the same every day. HORRIBLE.

  11. Rebecca says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 20091:51 pm 

    I go to Virginia Tech. We have six dining halls and you can order fresh lobster and filet mignon. The food is amazing!

  12. Cali says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 20091:56 pm 

    We also have Sodexho. We have tried to talk to them about our complaints and offer suggestions but they got all defensive.

  13. Jacks says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 20092:09 pm 

    I had Sodexho at my school, it was disgusting.

    Luckily though, after freshman year the school offers tons of townhouse/apartment housing options, so its easy to live in a place with your own kitchen.

  14. Chelsea says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 20093:17 pm 

    I got to SUNY New Paltz, and we also use Sodexho. The food isn't terrible (usually), but there is a lot of the same old, same old. One of the reasons why I chose New Paltz, actually, was because of how vegan-friendly it is (I've been vegan for 5 years). There's a vegan/vegetarian bar, along with other vegan stuff scattered about, and one vegan soup a day.

  15. Jessica says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 20093:51 pm 

    I'm from Canada and we we have Sodexo up here. Everyone refuses to eat at the places run by them and it's a well known fact around Campus that it will give you food poisoning. Our student union building has food places not run by sodexo and they get almost all the business but the kids in Rez can't eat there as often because their meal plan doesn't cover it.

  16. S.E. - Fordham says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 20098:44 pm 

    Fordham has sodexo too and the food is terrible. We're actually ranked nationally as having bad food…

  17. LeLe says:
    Fri, 20th Feb 200912:45 am 

    I hate cafeteria food! I've been to two schools in my two years in college, and have a been to a large school and a tiny private school. My school right now is about the same size as Hollins, and alhough I don't know the food carrier, I do know that we have some very eccentric mixtures for food choices. One night there were Quesadillas, Tacos, and Bean and rice burritos. What if someone doesn't like Mexican Food? YEA….well….It can't really be blamed on the provider, it's more the cooks that choose and prepare the meals.

  18. Emily S says:
    Fri, 20th Feb 200910:39 am 

    Rebecca?

    Is that a joke? That's insane.

    I think it should also be mentioned that the people who cook the food often get the butt of the blame. They're extremely nice, and they just cook what they're instructed to do.

    I'm glad you picked this topic because even the Hollins devoted students can agree that it's usually difficult to find appetizing food. It usually takes me a long time to create a meal for myself, and that's because I wander around aimlessly in circles trying to find something so I won't go hungry. As I do so, I always try put on a cheery smile in case I hurt anyone who works there's feelings.

  19. Alison says:
    Fri, 20th Feb 200911:07 am 

    I go to George Mason and we also have food through Sodexho. We recently got a new dining hall to replace our old one and it is AMAZING. I think it may be a little overpriced since I have a debit-decline meal plan so it's more expensive, but I am willing to pay for the quality of the food. We have an international, vegetarian, salad, pasta, wrap, and dessert stations. :) I think it's much better than most of the schools I have visited in VA.

    (other than Tech, their food is basically heaven on earth. haha) & Emily S, it isn't a joke..Virginia Tech is like #1 in the nation with food.

  20. Elise says:
    Sat, 21st Feb 20094:27 pm 

    Jeeze. If cage-free eggs and a mere 500 students are the worst of your problems…

    …After three students at my school were put on medication for cholesterol, there was an uproar amongst students and parents alike– all three were poor enough that they had to rely on the mandatory meal plan for sustenance, so all three got the full brunt of the poison.

    …I had food poisoning three times in one year from Sodexho food, and I was careful. I knew guys that wouldn’t stay completely away from the burgers and, as a result, constantly had the runs. I also knew two borderline-bulemic girls who admitted (in front of half the student body, during Awareness Week) to deliberately eating the burgers when they wanted to lose a few pounds. I mean, my God.

    …Hairs in the food, constantly. Salad greens changed twice a week, Tuesday and Saturday– you could tell because they were almost completely brown by the time they were changed. Half-raw chunks of chicken in greasy pasta dishes with lumpy floury sauce. Dishes served for days at a time– I mean, yesterday’s half-eaten casserette of crunchy baked beans, right back out on the line, and if you didn’t eat it today you’d get it tomorrow too.

    …The ‘International’ line was good for a while, with a guy who knew how to use a wok. He made the leftovers and odd bits they gave him into actual, edible, healthy food. Naturally they fired him, refusing to give a reason to the outraged student body, and even put one guy on probation for ranting in the quad about the food quality thereafter.

    The administration absolutely refused to discuss it with anybody. Students were removed from the SGA and Student Council for bringing the topic up at meetings. Professors were chastised for joking about the cafeteria’s crappiness.

    The only way we found to get back at Sodexho, finally, was to get one plate of everything, taste each plate, and if (when) we found it inedible, to throw the whole pile of food in the trash. We wasted a lot of food that way, which I felt bad about, but when the average student consumption at meals went up by a factor of eight… they finally listened. I hear (now that I’ve graduated) that the salad bar is changed every day, the burgers are safe, and the food is almost always completely cooked.

    But at ETBU, students still fear the Freshman Fifty.

  21. Vera says:
    Sun, 22nd Feb 20094:23 am 

    BOSTON UNIVERSITY FOOD=AMAZING. but i wish it was bad so i wouldn't want to eat all of it

  22. sara says:
    Sun, 22nd Feb 20093:26 pm 

    USF food is delish!

  23. Catherine P. says:
    Mon, 20th Apr 20094:15 pm 

    We don't have Sodexo but our cafeteria food made me quit eating on campus. The first year was pretty good but for the last year or more everyday we have asian style food and I am so sick of it!

    I wish we could have an international selection of food during a month and mix different cultures. We have a large Asian population at UH-KCC and the food is pretty much for them. (unless you like a day old burger and fries)

    I wish we had Sodexo since they are in some of the hospitals here and the food is better than on campus. Never thought I would "go to lunch" at a hospital but the food is really good and low priced.

  24. Megan says:
    Wed, 14th Oct 200910:03 pm 

    I am actually working this semester on making some changes at my university. At Loyola Marymount(in Los Angeles) we also have Sodexho as our campus dining service, and it is absolutely ridiculous how much they charge for food. A single banana is $1.19! The company claims that they have to charge these high rates because they need to pay their workers a living wage. However,some workers claimed that do not receive such a wage. Something needs to be done.

  25. Erin Struble says:
    Mon, 15th Feb 20101:38 pm 

    YES! This is EXACTLY how it is! Since the beginning of January, my roommate and I have put in 1-2 comment cards each day, telling them that we will continue until something changes, and have been completely ignored. I have LOST the freshman 15, and am constantly hungry, while I listen to friends at other universities talk about how great their food is. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE!

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