Campus Dining: The Current State Of Drexel University's Dining Services The Meal Plan l1s3v

Campus Dining: The Current State of Drexel University's Dining Services The Meal Plan Excited, the incoming Drexel freshmen sit at their laptops filling out the housing application right after coming back from school. Then comes part seven of the application, the meal plan. Little did they know this was the most critical decision they will make before freshman year. It is mandatory for Drexel freshmen living on campus to purchase a meal plan. Students have two options, a 14 meal swipes a week and 475 dining dollars or 20 meal swipes a week and 200 dining dollars plan. Each plan costs $1,875 per quarter. Meal swipes can be used at either of the two locations on campus, the Handschumacher Dining Hall (Hans) or the Urban Eatery (Urban). Meal swipes refresh every week. Dining dollars can be used at several retail locations on campus. These commercial locations include Chick-fil-a, Currito, Jazzman’s Cafe, Market 16 & Noodle Bar, Northside Market, Starbucks, Subway, Thirtyone41 and the Hahnemann Hospital Cafeteria (Drexel University Dining Services). On the surface Drexel’s meal plan appears to be decent, however it has victimized on campus freshman because of its inconvenience, low quality, cost and unhealthiness. The Problems with Drexel’s Meal Plan The meal plan is inconvenient at times. Meal swipes can only be used once per dining period, so if used early a student may have to stay hungry for several hours. If the student has classes throughout the period, the meal swipe goes to waste. Other inconveniences with the meal plan are the rollover sanctions. Under both meal plans the unused meal swipes do not roll over and only 100 dining dollars or less will be rolled over into the next quarter. The students have a set amount of meal swipes anyways, so why limit when they can be used? Budgeting the meal plan can also become difficult. The amount of dining dollars that a student has in the beginning may seem large however most of the things that a student can spend dining dollars on are overpriced. For example a 16oz container of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream

costs $8.99 in Northside Market and can be found at other stores for $4. An increase in price is reasonable, however more than doubling the price of an item is exploiting students. Much of the food offered to students is also unhealthy. In the Hans it can be difficult to find food that is not drenched in oil. In the Urban Eatery the most popular spots, VESPA and Ignite, serve pizza, burgers, cheesesteaks and chicken tenders as their main meals. It is worrying when possibly one of the only meals that can be thought of as healthy in the dining halls is salad. With such few healthy options it is difficult to assemble a balanced meal. Health Concerns On November 24, 2015, the city of Philadelphia inspected the Handschumacher dining center and found 22 violations (Dept of Health). The report noted that the Hans was not in compliance with food contamination, sanitation and preparation rules. The report is part of a new movement in Philadelphia to release inspection data the day of inspection. Students were obviously disgusted by the obscene number of health violations. After many students got sick and the health inspections two years ago, Sodexo conducted an investigation in the dining halls and came to the conclusion that several students got norovirus, commonly referred to as the stomach flu or stomach virus, after eating at the Handschumacher Dining Center. Students have experienced symptoms of vomiting, dry heaving and lightheadedness after eating at the Hans. Also Sodexo said that although there has been an increase of norovirus on campus, there is no indication or proof that it the cause is the food served at the Hans.(Casciato 2013). There is much doubt that when a company conducts an investigation on itself incriminating evidence will ever be found. Campus Dining in University City The University of the Sciences (USciences) is supplied by Sodexo. Drexel’s meal plan is slightly less than the University of the Science’s $5698-$5884. The University of the Sciences and Drexel both have two dining halls. However unlike Drexel, USciences has not faced any

violations. Also there are a little less than 800 students on campus, so the task of providing edible food is not as demanding as it may be in Drexel. The University of Pennsylvania partners with Bon Appetit to provide meals. Drexel’s meal plan is more than the University of Pennsylvania’s $4928. The University of Pennsylvania also has five dining halls. Unlike, Drexel and Usciences, Upenn gives a set amount of meal swipes for the semester. Also Upenn values its cafe’s atmosphere and food so much that they strive for an experience more than just food. It is a place to meet up with friends or meet new people.(Petrilla) The cafeteria prides itself in being as close to Mom’s kitchen as possible and having a very diverse selection.(Petrilla) Upenn was even listed as one of the top ten most vegetarian friendly colleges in 2009. For meat Upenn even uses Quaker raised cows and pigs. (Petrilla) Upenn dining halls have never faced any violations for health risks. Professors even enjoy eating in the dining halls. The Drexel faculty is rarely seen eating at the dining halls showing how unappealing Drexel’s facilities are. Drexel Students’ Thoughts A survey regarding the meal plan was given out to Drexel students randomly in the Handschumacher Dining Hall and the residence halls. More than 98% thought that the meal plan was not worth $1875. Of the survey takers, 78% were freshman those who were not freshman were mostly either Residence hall Assistants, who received a free meal plan, or upperclassmen who were too lazy to cook. This illustrates how most students disliked the mandatory meal plan freshman year. The survey asked questions about the choice of meal plan. 92% of those on the meal plan said they chose the 14 meal swipes a week and 475 dining dollars plan. The main reasons students gave for choosing the 14/475 meal plan included that students could not finish their quota of meal swipes in a week. This is because they could not handle eating at the Hans or Urban that much or they did not eat that much food. Another reason students gave for their meal

plan choice was more dining dollars. Students could use dining dollars on other things like snacks or supplies at the Northside Market. Dining dollars allowed more diversity in the dining options and it meant students would not have to eat at the Sodexo run dining halls. Many students have experienced sickness from the Hans. 54% of students surveyed reported feeling sick at least one time after eating at the Hans or Urban. This is an astounding amount of students. Sickness from campus dining is not a new occurrence at Drexel. The topic frequently appears in Drexel’s newspaper(Klein, 2013).The students who have gotten sick described similar symptoms of the sickness which include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. 37% of those who have gotten sick experienced diarrhea, 41% of those who have gotten sick experienced upset stomachs, 30% of those who have gotten sick experienced nausea, 25% of those who have gotten sick have regurgitated the food they consumed. This is unacceptable because students are getting adapted to the independence of college and should not have to be concerned about the school making them sick. When asked to rate the food served at the Hans and Urban on a range one to ten, where one was inedible and ten was delicious the average score was a 4.45. Students were asked whether they thought the meal plan is worth $1,875. The survey used a scale of 1-5; 1 being strongly disagree, 2 being disagree, 3 being neutral, 4 being agree and 5 being strongly agree. The results averaged to 1.875. 75% also did not think that it is fair to restrict meal swipes to once per dining period. Cleary Drexel students are unhappy with several aspects of the meal plan.

Improving Drexel’s Meal Plan The dining plan can be improved by putting more effort into meal preparation. This effort can come from keeping the kitchens clean and following health standards. It can also come from purchasing fresher ingredients and preparing healthier meals. The plan could also be made more convenient by allowing students to use meal swipes at any time of the day. Others propose that the meal plan is reworked to remove the broken system of dining dollars. Some suggest that Drexel end its relationship with Sodexo and find a better food provider for its students (Furstein 2014). Drexel’s meal plan has upset students for years and will continue to unless the University takes action and hold Sodexo able for providing quality food to the students.

Works Cited CASCIATO, J. (2013). Sodexo follows up on 'Hans sickness' - The Triangle. Retrieved February 9, 2016, from http://thetriangle.org/news/sodexo-follows-up-on-hans-sickness/ Drexel University Dining Services. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2016, from https://www.drexelcampusdining.com/ "First Year Dining Plans." First Year Dining Plans. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. Furstein, Richard. "Dining Hall Difficulties - The Triangle." The Triangle. 17 Jan. 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. Klein, David. "Freshmen Blame Hans for Sickness - The Triangle." The Triangle. 08 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. Petrilla, Molly. "Dining a La Penn." Penn Gazette | Dining a La Penn. Penn Gazette, Mar.Apr. 2010. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. U.S. Philadelphia Dept of Health. Office of Food Protection. Food Facility Inspection By Delores Brokenborough. Philadelphia, 2015. Print. Wood, S. (2015, November 25). Phila. restaurants get same-day health inspections. Retrieved February 9, 2016, from http://www.philly.com/philly/health/special_reports/cleanplates/20151126_Philly_restaurants_get_sameday_health_inspections.html

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