Last year, it was a challenge to eat at Chase. I found myself unhappy with much of my food options as they were bland and often overcooked, and there was not that much variety in the food they were serving. However, this past semester has been much, much better and I have noticed several positive changes Chase has been able to make. In general, there are more options day to day, as the pizza and make-your-own pasta bar are now staple sections. But there have been some really positive changes I want to take the time to highlight.
Possibly the best change Chase has made this semester is the addition of the "Allergies Station." This station is gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and shellfish free all the time. This station had been very successful throughout the semester, and is extremely important to those with food allergies. Within the station, there is always a source of protein - fish or chicken usually -, a source of grain and vegetables. Several students last year consistently spoke about the lack of gluten free options at Chase, and said they were forced to live off of simply rice or buy their own food, which is very expensive on top of what they already pay for to be on the meal plan. Now, they know there will always be an option in addition to rice at Chase for them to eat and they no longer have to spend money out of pocket.
Chase is also now Leed Certified Silver, which means our building gets a silver metal for being environmentally conscious. As we all know, our food scraps go towards feeding the pigs. Simply throwing away food contributes a massive amount of waste that goes straight into landfills, creating extreme strain on our environment. Buy feeding our food to the pigs, the pig farmers no longer have to buy feed from corporations that import food from over seas, eliminating fossil fuel waste, and Wheaton doesn't have to throw away any food, eliminating our food waste.
Last but certainly not least, is they new person in charge of Dining Service. The new person in charge of dining services is very receptive to changes students want to make and listens to what the students have to say in regards to our dining options. This semester alone, there have been several dining experience surveys because they want to hear our feedback, and I have meet with him personally to express my own concerns. I encourage all to reach out to the new head of Dining Services; Wheaton is a collaborative community and we should take every opportunity we can to make this place comfortable for all.
Just like you I was not too happy about the dining services last year and I agree that they have greatly improved this year. The addition of the allergy station is great because it provides options for those students who have food allergies. It is hard enough to try to eat healthy and balanced when you are able to eat everything in chase and I can't imagine not being able to eat certain foods and having to carefully pick and choose what to eat. This station is also great even if you don't have any food allergies because it is usually another option that is healthy and tastes really good! The new head of the dining services has done a great job this semester at improving our food options and I hope it continues to get even better next semester!
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