All students at UW-La Crosse living on-campus are required to purchase a meal plan. With a total of 9,630 undergraduate students at UW-L and 96 percent of freshman living on-campus, it’s safe to say, at least, 2,000 students have a meal plan. This doesn’t take into account graduate students and students living off-campus that may have purchased a plan. Therefore, who Whitney Center’s food service provider is affects quite a bit of the UW-L student population.
UW-L is, presently, underway in changing food providers on campus. The change will, primarily, affect Sodexo management, the university’s current food provider. However, Todd Vicker, Sodexo’s General Manager, said UW-L student and full-time employees would switch over to the new food provider.
The change in food provider will not only affect Whitney Center, but Cartwright Center, Murphy’s Mug, Centennial Hall and food catering all across campus, as well, as Sodexo provides food for all of these places.
According to the Dining Services website, students may voice their comments and concerns to the food service manager if they want a say in the food service program.
However, Vicker said, ultimately, “The university decides who the food services provider is.”
Food service providers are chosen through a bidding process, in which, food service programs submit their offers to UW-L with the requirements requested by the university. A minimum of three programs is required for the bidding process in order to maintain competitive pricing. Price, consistency with original specifications, delivery date, freight charges and special preferences must all be considered when comparing bids.
According to the October Student Senate meeting, the Chartwells food service provider is in the running and, may, very well, return to campus as UW-L’s new food provider.
Megan Kuenster, UW-L junior, said she most wants to see a larger selection of gluten-free foods in the new food program. Kuenster, also, said the taste of food could be improved. “It doesn’t seem like they spend a lot of time taste testing their food,” Kuenster said.
Molly Barbeau, UW-L junior, agreed. “I went to Murphy’s mug one time and got a sandwich. It was disgusting,” said Barbeau.
The current food program is not all bad, though. Kuenster said she likes Whitney Center’s breakfast. She also loves the sushi now offered at Cartwright Center.
Kuenster provided insight from her work experience in the dining services when she attended Colorado State University, where the dining services are student run versus company run.
“It was less political. The business managers, being students themselves, could relate to students better and knew what food they wanted offered,” said Kuenster.
Kuenster wished that UW-L were more sensitive to student opinion in this way.
Considering how many students are affected by the University dining services, the changes to the food services will, hopefully, be for the better.
UW-L has yet to identify its new food service provider, and the date in which this information will be released is unknown.