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Editor’s note: Our team contacted Dean Gill and only received a generic response from him, as many of the students did. That was the only comment made by Notre Dame College on this situation.
Around seventeen percent of students who live on college campuses are known
to use their meal plans. Big institutions like Harvard University and small
institutions such as Notre Dame College depend on their students to buy these meal plans. A meal plan provides the student with the option of a healthy meal while studying on their campus. Locations like Cuyahoga Community College allow you to use your meal plan on all four campuses and some of their sister branches.
Students are very dependent on these plans when living on campus and having no family members nearby to support them. So, what happens when the system fails these students? We are in a world where nothing can escape the social media spectrum. Students from universities like Kent State University and Notre Dame College have had enough and they have decided to share what is happening at their institutions of higher learning. From raw meats to worms in their breakfasts, students at Kent State University are disgusted and they've decided to share details about what they are paying for. Kent State student Anna Vitale (@Theannavitale) commented “Yup another day starving myself” on an Instagram post related to the incident at Kent State. The college’s Dining Services Dean has not publicly commented about the situation, but some students were told that no raw food has been served in their cafeterias by management.
Outraged students are seeking help through social media, since they are not sure of how to handle this situation. Student Tori Morr (@tori_morr) shared a word of advice to all students in case their food turns out to be raw, old, or has bugs in/on it. “Dining service does not believe that there is raw chicken. Instead of throwing it out, take it to a manager. Make sure you get the managers name, date, and time. Then, take it above the manager. Embrace the Karen. Become the Karen”.
Kent State University students are not the only ones suffering from these food problems. Across town, Notre Dame College is also having the same trouble.
Students on social media are sharing disgusting food videos. Some videos include raw food, some others include worms in their lunch. When contacted about the lunch situation by Jayhelen, a current student at Notre Dame College, the Dean of Students Christopher Gill (Ph.D.) said, “Thanks for the email. We are not refunding meal plans. We believe the food is safe, as indicated by the Health Department report. If you live on campus, you must have a meal plan. We are addressing issues with Normandy, our food service provider, and we feel it will be fixed. Please let me know if you have any further questions”. The students have created a petition via Change.org to remove Normandy Catering from Notre Dame College and they demand the catering service to close their doors until a full health inspection is done.
“Serving food with maggots crawling in it and serving raw meat is unacceptable” said Emma Martcheva, a current student at Notre Dame. The petition currently has over four hundred (400) signatures; around two hundred are estimated to be from students and the rest are from concerned parents, family members, staff from the college, and community members. Believe it or not, the parents of these students are also taking to social media and publicly complaining about the situation. “My son goes to school here and as expensive as it is to go here, they deserve to eat better. If not, take it off the tuition and provide kitchens for them,” said Jonathan Perry. Mr. Perry is one of the many parents that has gone to the Dean of Students and the faculty of Notre Dame College and received the generic response that “everything is okay”.
Parents, like Jerry Wells, who pay for their daughter’s tuition, are tired of the disgusting meal situations. Many have contacted Dean Gill and have only received the same response that was given to Jayhelen. We tried to contact Dean Gill over the phone, and he said “We have started an investigation and came to the resolution that our food services are safe, and our health department approves.
Students should not have to pay for food outside of campus when they are paying hundreds to their universities in tuition and food services. These food services should not put their student's health at risk, at any time. “I feel like my health and well-being is at risk when eating in the cafeteria. This is unfair and the amount of money we pay for our meal plans is unacceptable for the food we receive back,” said student, Paula Nieves.
Join the group of students who are fighting around the Ohio universities so they can receive a better-quality dining experience. Call Dean Gill today or sign their petition.
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Editor: Jolie Townsend-Moyer
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