From an e-mail…
Hi, I’m Becky Weiss ‘10, Chair of the WSA’S Finance and Facilities Committee and Co-Chair of the Dining Committee.
A comment was posted suggesting that students come to WSA meetings and bombard us with dining suggestions and complaints. Do it. It’s what the WSA is for.
In each week’s Dining meeting, a group of students, including reps from the WSA, EON, and USLAC, sit with Dean Rick and Bon Appetit management to discuss the progress of dining and the changes that need to be made. So far we’ve had two Dining Committee meetings and there has been much progress as a result of student feedback. Food has been better labeled, dessert quality has improved, and selection has increased. Although it feels like we’ve been at Wes forever, it’s only been three weeks. And each week we are giving Bon Appetit more and more suggestions and seeing them make more and more improvements. They want to help us. They’re in this to give students what they want. It just takes time.
Over the next few months you will see many improvements as a result of student suggestions that have been brought up at the Dining Committee meetings. Microwaves will soon be brought in to Summerfields, the Café, and the Marketplace. The café is getting additional coolers delivered so that more grab and go options can be made available to students. Many new foods and sides, as specifically requested by students, will be introduced.
So the big cloud looming over all this is prices. They’re too high. Way too high. And we’re going to do something about it. At last night’s Dining meeting I asked Delmar Crim and his management team to review prices for our next meeting and see what can feasibly be cut. Next week we will
review their changes and tell them what more needs to be done. We are going to make the Marketplace an affordable place for students to eat, no matter what it takes.Someone posted a great point about how the WSA is not qualified to deal with labor relations. Our goal is to get the correct information out to students, not to mediate between the union and Bon Appetit. This is why we invited union stewards to last Sunday’s general assembly meeting and Bon Appetit to next Sunday’s meeting. Come hear what Bon Appetit has to say. Then tell them why you’re pissed. Trust me, it will feel good. I am eager to hear it all this Sunday September 23 in Usdan Meeting Room 108. Also, you can always e-mail me at rweiss@wesleyan.edu.