Students weigh in

Posted by admin on Dec 3, 2008 in News | 0 comments

Forty-seven Trinity Western University students attended an open forum Oct. 31 designed to gather feedback for renewing Sodexo’s contract. Students, faculty members and Sodexo heads met to discuss the contract and to voice concerns.

TWU is in the process of negotiating a new ten-year contract with Sodexo. The public meeting was a chance for students to weigh in and let the company know how they can improve. “We were able to discuss with them what we thought were the big student concerns and they let us in on what they could,” says Jason Brandl, Trinity Western University Student Association vice president, noting that some aspects of the negotiations are confidential.

After a presentation by student housing representatives, students talked directly with Bill Keith, Sodexo district manager, and Chris Fox, manager of the TWU branch. Students brought forward issues including prices, Lower Caf hours, meal options and the nature of the closed contract.

Students spoke up about the university’s decision to keep the contract exclusive to Sodexo, instead of opening it up for other potential service providers. Third-year student Sam VanderVeer said this was his biggest concern at the meeting. “They said they’re trying to maximize the contract, and I said ‘How can you maximize it if you’re not opening it up to other bidders?’”

Brandl agrees that this was a hot topic but “[Housing reps] said that they’ve built a relationship with Sodexo, and they just feel like a request for proposals isn’t needed right now, because it would be detrimental towards that relationship. Sodexo is really eager to continue to work with the university.”

Besides renovating the Lower Caf, Sodexo has also sponsored campus construction projects like the new music building and the collegium program. They support athletics and cater events on campus. “I think they’re doing a good job,” said VanderVeer. “It’s just the fact that the university is refusing to open it up to anyone.”

Students were also anxious to bring up food prices. Sodexo’s prices have risen in the last few years but the amount of money for meal-cards, supplied by the university, have remained the same, says Brandl. “Scott Henderson [of University Enterprises] really fought to get more money on the meal-cards and it was raised by a little bit,” said Brandl. “But, ultimately it’s not keeping up with the rising price of food.”

Some students voiced complaints that were merely a matter of lack of communication. When the issue came up of extending Lower Caf hours on 11:07 nights, the reps learned about TWU’s improv comedy night for the first time. Next semester, TWUSA plans to send Sodexo an 11:07 schedule so they can plan their hours around them.

The meeting also highlighted some of the changes the company has been making, including hiring a new head chef and an expanding food selection with more vegetarian options. A Food Services committee – comprised of Scott Henderson, Chris Fox, the head chef and students – meets bi-weekly to concentrate specifically on students’ issues.

“There are definitely still concerns that students have…that would come up whether they’d [go with] Sodexo or with some other company,” Brandl said.

But as VanderVeer put it, “They’ll never be Mom’s cooking.”