Food choices concern students

“We at Boise State do all that we can to ensure we get the best quality food at the best price for our students,” Kim Thomas, executive director for Campus Services, said.

Currently all catering and dining services at Boise State are contracted out to Aramark, which some students have acknowledged as unfavorable. It often appears that Aramark is mostly concerned with money.

“[The] ILC [Interactive Learning Center] is way too over-priced for what you get. Three dollars for a slice of pizza is way too much,” junior Caleb Fischer said. Fischer is a civil-engineering major and resides off-campus.

Thomas assured food and catering prices are reasonable, and are approved through a rigorous evaluation where they are compared to USDA and Consumer Price Index standards.

Before Aramark can increase prices, the university analyzes costs, and then either accepts or rejects increases depending on regional standards.

Students are also discontent with Aramark’s implementation of the tray-less program.

“They need to bring the trays back. You have to keep going back  and forth,” freshman Joey Rocha, a business major, said.

According to Campusdish.com,  the tray-less program started as part of Boise State’s Sustainability Initiative to reduce the carbon footprint the university has on the environment. The ILC, Student Union Building and Table Rock Cafe all participate in the new program.

Students who live on campus frequent TRC because Boise State dormitory residents are required to enroll in a meal plan.
There was a mixed response from students about TRC’s quality of food and options. The most vocal students expressed a great deal of concern with TRC.

“[The quality] starts off good and slowly deteriorates steadily throughout the semester,” junior Jeremy Johnson said. “They start off with a huge selection then narrows into lower quality.
They try to respond to what the students want; they have a lot of students, but their first goal is money and not students.”

“If there are any issues with TRC quality, I want to know about it,” Thomas said.

Thomas can be reached by e-mail at KThomas@boisestate.edu or by telephone at 426-3048. Students are strongly encouraged to contact Thomas regarding any comments, concerns or suggestions regarding Dining Services.

Hopefully stronger communication paths will be opened as a  result.

GABE MURPHY
ARBITER JOURNALIST

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