With classes back in session and campus full of students, there is no shortage of activity at West Virginia University. This was especially true outside of the Mountainlair as students assembled to protest Sodexo, a French food services and facilities management company that runs the dining services for WVU on Wednesday, Aug. 22.
The Board of Governors approved the selection of Sodexo to take over dining services operations on May 25. Sodexo has made various changes to WVU dining, including adding three new restaurants to the Mountainlair.
However, not all changes from Sodexo were met with positive feedback. Students have made it a point to show how displeased they were with these changes on Wednesday.
To show their discontent, students stood outside of the Mountainlair with posters reading, “My Swipes My Choice” and “Heck No Sodexo” in hopes of bringing attention to issues that Sodexo has created.
These issues include increased prices and limited access to allergen-friendly food.
Senior Emily Frasa, an international studies and economics double major, has been personally impacted by Sodexo’s recent changes. Frasa has an allergy that does not allow her to have gluten or dairy. “In the past WVU has been able to accommodate my dining needs,” she said.
Frasa said that previously, she would simply call dining halls in advance and they would prepare her food so that she could eat. With Sodexo, that is no longer the case. “There has still been on and off again access to allergen friendly food,” Frasa said.
Frasa explained how she was a Resident Assistant in Boreman Hall, but was displaced after WVU could not accommodate her dining needs. After a week of living in the dorms she had to switch with another RA and move to Summit, so she would be able to eat in an allergen friendly facility.
“I was displaced from my job as an RA to another dorm in order to eat something that should have just been available all along,” Frasa said. She reported that only Summit Dining Hall and Café Evansdale offer allergen friendly food options.
While the goal of the protest was to make Sodexo aware of WVU students dissatisfaction about the changes to WVU dining, it was also to inform students about what Sodexo has been doing.
Students brought forth allegations of Sodexo being an immoral company.
According to a report from WVU’s Daily Athenaeum, “WVU Dean of Students Corey Farris said there is some miscommunication about what Sodexo offers. He said there are accommodations for students with allergies at Summit and Evansdale Cafés, and meals do not have to be requested, unlike previous years.”
Frasa noted that there would be a private meeting on Friday in which she hoped that she and WVU could work together and provide the best options to WVU students with dietary restrictions to be able to eat safely on campus.