Seconds, anyone?

Food services providers feeding us leftovers

TESSA VANDERHART STAFF

Food services are probably the easiest thing to criticize on campus. But let’s face it: feeding the third-largest city in Manitoba costs (and makes) the university a lot of money.

But two years ago, the food services annoyance on campus stepped it up a notch, to discontent. Then-UMSU councillor and food services committee member Joey Coleman visited Ontario university campuses — McMaster, Waterloo, and Guelph — and brought back news of not-for-profit food services. Coleman told the Manitoban that these food providers offered meal cards to use at off-campus restaurants, even some with 24-hour food delivery. And even if it meant participating in the food services game, U of M students were empowered: they were going to do something about it!

At the same time, the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association (UWSA) prepared a food services bid when the U of W’s contract with Aramark expired. Chartwells, another multinational food-services-plus provider, got the bid (and U of W students have been complaining ever since).

In the spring of 2006, Matt Soprovitch started UMSPAR — the U of M student food advisory and recommendation association — demanding better food for residence students. Two protests and a few articles in the Manitoban later, Aramark’s contract with the university was extended for seven months, until May 2007. (Check.)

UMSU’s own food services committee began to prepare a food services bid, based on the UWSA’s — possible because the university decided to extend the contract for the odd length of seven months. However, of the five bids submitted to the administration, only two were accepted, based on the stipulation that all bids include three references — universities where the bidder renders food services. And the university food services committee gets to choose between Aramark and Sodexho this January, when the new provider will be announced.

In the meantime, Mr. Sub became Subway, the closed smoothie place became the open franchise-smoothie place, and more seating was built in Campo. Oh, and the coffee got better (may be speculation).

But that was only the beginning of Aramark’s “improvements.” At the Aramark town hall meeting last week, a list of changes were presented en PowerPoint: better Tim Hortons service, more and better seating in Campo, restaurantstyle dining in Pembina Hall and Campo, and — maybe — allowing bake sales in University Centre. (Double check.)

Oh yeah, and UMSPAR/icePIRG (a U of M public interest research group) flyers circulating before the Town Hall meeting — for which a student was detained — only hinted at the green-banana-mashing, not to mention angry questions, that was in store at the town hall. Apparently there was a miscommunication about what exactly a “town hall” entails: students wanted direct-to-the-face democracy, and the administration got, quite fairly I might add, a direct, sunk-your-battleship public-relations win.

On Nov. 27, Sodexho participated in the second town hall meeting, presenting to students the bid they presented to the food services committee. By all accounts, it bore a striking resemblance to Aramark’s presentation, if less “flashy,” much as could be expected from any leftovers.

(With one important difference: after the meeting, UMSPAR president Soprovitch spoke to a Sodexho representative about donating unused meals to charities — and found out that Sodexho has meal-donation programs in place at other schools.)

The UMSPAR/icePIRG demands that didn’t get asked at the Aramark town hall were simple: better, vegan-friendly, organic, locally produced or fair-trade food, at a lower cost than the current meal plan. Oh, and a bunch of revolutionary stuff like vegetarian options and longer operating hours for students permanently detained in Pembina Hall.

Least of the concerns of those who encouraged students to “bring something to throw” is the university’s revenue stream. Food services is one of the university’s ancillary services (not to be confused with ancillary fees) which in total made the university about $4 million last year, according to the Annual Report. The $30-million ancillary services budget includes residences — which operate approximately at cost — Parking Services, the Book Store and the Campus Pharmacy.

The town hall presenters, of course, did not say how much their respective companies would make from winning the bid, nor how much the university’s cut would be (and nor did I ask; that kind of thing is, how you say, “confidential”).

But the flashy, down-to-the-tile specific Aramark plan, and the less-flashy but still comprehensive, donation-happy Sodexho plan have one important thing (among many notimportant things) in common: they will cost veritable boatloads of money. (Check, please!)

Maybe food services shouldn’t make the university money, and maybe serving students at cost is going to finance these shiny improvements. But I doubt it. Residence costs $5-6,000, including a meal plan that costs $2,700 in University College, the cheapest of the lot. A soggy wrap costs $5 in Campo

Students tried to have their voices heard in the food services negotiations, and maybe they did. Regardless, they’ll be paying for it. Checkmate.

Tessa Vanderhart is a third-year political studies student and the Manitoban’s copy editor.