Hopkins dining program has come a long way

o begin this article, I would like to harken back and evoke the dining scene here at Hopkins just a few years ago. Taco Bell and Pizza Hut occupied Levering (talk about some healthy options, eh?); fried chicken and canned vegetables could be found daily at the FFC; Meals-in-a-Minute consisted of damp, soggy turkey sandwiches; and Nolan’s didn’t know how to spell "salad." Underclassmen do not recall when Aramark was our dining contractor, which was only two years ago (Bon Appétit is the current one). “We have a salad bar?” was the common reply to what was served for vegetarians or vegans. Having choices about what to eat on a nightly basis and not having to ask a manager about every dish has been a new experience for vegetarians and vegans on campus. Local food options included Pepsi (made right here in Maryland) and produce grown in North Carolina (not especially local). The dining program at Hopkins has seen a complete 180 in the past 10 years.

This huge change has come about for various reasons: different dining contractors have come in and out, the director of Dining at Hopkins was replaced (Bill Connor is the current one now), and students (yes students!) have demanded that changes to our dining experience at Hopkins be made. There have been many voices that have spoken out and demanded changes from the administration. Real Food Hopkins (RFH), a chapter of the national food justice movement, Real Food Challenge, was THE student entity that got President Ronald J. Daniels to sign the Real Food Campus Commitment, which pledged Hopkins dining to purchase 35 percent real food by 2020. "Real food" must be ecologically sound, locally produced, fair trade and/or humanely grown.

The Food Systems Working Group, a board assembled by RFH students, brings together administrators, staff, faculty, farmers and students to strategize for our goal of 35 percent real food. We are currently at 26 percent, which is a number produced by student interns who researched and analyzed our dining invoices line by line. Students take the initiative in the group and set the tone for how involved administrators are when deciding different foods to bring to campus. The next meeting will be on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. in the Charles Commons MPR Room; all students are welcome to attend.

We are also actively involved in dietary feedback meetings, held in the FFC, which provide an opportunity for any student who eats on campus (meal plan or no meal plan) to voice his or her opinions about what should be served and what recipes should not be used. There are plenty of platforms to change the dining experience here at Hopkins, and the dining staff is more than willing to listen to student opinions.

Many students assume that the workers are always rude and unpleasant; I would argue that when they are respected and appreciated, their mood will reflect that, and interactions with them are very pleasant. In fact, the individuals on the dining staff are some of the nicest members of our campus community once you converse with them. It is never fun to deal with hurried students who forget to abide by the basics of respect or even the conventions of “please” and “thank you." So next time you order a sandwich at CharMar, show some appreciation for the person behind the counter.

To add to the growing list of tremendously beneficial dining improvements, reusable to-go containers are now in the works. It is an expensive undertaking to start a system for reusable to-go containers considering the volume necessary to supply the Hopkins campus. As such, infrastructure adjustments, both to the dining facilities and the J-card system, are needed to ensure that the program will run smoothly.

In conclusion, if you feel the dining program could be improved on campus, do something about and reach out to Real Food Hopkins. Join us Tuesdays at 8 p.m. in Hodson 313 for our open meetings. If you don’t like something, turn your emotions into actions and take a stand. We as students have the power to do that!