by ALYSSA VELAZQUEZ, Staff Writer
If there is one thing all Manhattan College students have in common, it is the need for food to get through their busy days. Now, thanks to the Campus Food Service Committee, students will have the opportunity to voice their opinions on the food served on campus in efforts to make their meals a true dining experience.
Everyone is different, which means that each of us prefer certain foods over others, so it is no surprise that MC has a variety of dining options on campus to accommodate these differences. Dining options ranging from places such as Cafe 1853 to the different stations in Kelly Commons.
However, if students had concerns or suggestions on these dining options, there was never a dedicated group to express these concerns. That has all changed now thanks to the creation of the Campus Food Service Committee.
This semester is the first time the College has seen a committee dedicated to address the food concerns of students. The purpose of the it is to be able to have a “stream line of communication from student to management of food services” on campus, according to Brian Weinstein, the general manager of gourmet dining here at the College.
The committee is organized so if any student feels the need to express their concern about the food on campus, they have the opportunity to do so at these meetings. Olivia Siller, chairperson of the Resident Student Association and Vice President of Residential Affairs, states that she would “ask students for concerns or things they would like to change on campus” and at her meetings “someone always has something to do with food.”
One of the great aspects to this committee is the fact that students can speak directly to management of gourmet dining without hesitation. Weinstein states that “students can be uncomfortable coming up to me and talking to me and voicing their concerns… I’m all about the students… My job is to make the students dining experience at college a memorable one.”
Some students may have already recognized some changes being made, such as the Tex Mex Station in Locke’s, transforming in the morning into a made to order pancake station with options such as blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes.
As Weinstein puts it “The sky’s the limit!” His goal is to ensure that when it comes to food services he wants “to make everything perfect for the students,” and strives to make MC’s food service program one of the best in the country.
However, the only way Weinstein can help make change in MC’s dining experience, is by hearing the needs and wants of the community. Siller puts this perfectly when stating “Coming to the meeting and sharing your concerns is the number one way to make us aware of something. Change is possible if people are willing to put in the work.”