For the past several months, Campus Action on Food (CAF), an NSPIRG working group, has been offering free vegetarian and locally sourced food servings to students within the SUB. This however, has been met with much concern from DSU representatives who have threatened to have CAF expulsed from the SUB.
On Feb 2, during CAF’s latest food serving, the following memo was handed to CAF:
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MEMORANDUM
Date: Feb 2, 2010
For: Campus Action on Food (CAF)
From: Dalhousie Student Union
The Dalhousie Student Union recognizes CAF’s desire to provide free and healthy vegan food options on campus. The DSU does however, want to ensure that the health and safety of its members and those who enter its building are paramount.
Representatives of the DSU have met with the Union’s current food service providers and it has been agreed upon by all parties that CAF will be permitted to provide its services in the DSU on a weekly trial basis between now and April 30, 2010, subject to the following:
Terms and Conditions
1. The student group prepares and serves food in the Dalhousie Student Union Building in a manner that adheres to all of the regulations deemed necessary by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture for the safe preparation, transportation and serving of food products. Food distribution may occur only upon inspection and approval by the appropriate Food Safety Inspector.
2. The student group is required to become a ratified society of the DSU. This free process is a necessary safeguard to guarantee that certain individuals are willing to take on-going accountability for ensuring that all conditions outlined above are met.
3. As part of this agreement the student group will refrain from handing out any form of propaganda while in the Student Union Building that potentially damages the reputation and business of any service providers that the DSU currently has relations with.
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This is a clear example of DSU representatives wanting to look like the conceding “good guys” all the while attempting to silence the voice of students within their own building in favour of corporate clients with whom contracts have been engaged without student consultation.
1. Several members of CAF have followed food safety courses, and all meals are prepared at the Dal Women’s Centre kitchen. No meat is ever involved, and most often no animal products at all.
2. CAF, as an NSPIRG working group, is a ratified society.
3. The so-called “propaganda” made available to students during food servings is no more than promotional materials from CAF and SMAC as well as general information on the undemocratic behaviour of DSU representatives, the ecologically unsound practices of corporate food providers, and the impediments both represent to student self-determining - all of which is regularly published, in much more detail in The Gazette available throughout the SUB.
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