Despite it only being the third week of classes, there have already been numerous conversations around campus about which dining hall is better. Whether it be freshmen trying to figure out which one they prefer, or upperclassmen comparing how often the Mongolian Grill is open compared to last year. No matter who you talk to, it seems like everyone has a very strong opinion one way or the other. Throughout the past week, I asked almost everyone I ran into a series of questions. The leading one being “Commons or Regattas?”
In total, I talked to 25 freshmen and 25 upperclassmen. Overall, Regattas won, by 72%, or 36 votes. During this survey, some of the follow-up questions I asked had participants vote if commons or regattas had better: seating / overall layout (78% Regs), variety of foods (56% Regs), ice cream bars (90% Regs), open hours (58% Regs) and dietary restrictive options (52% Commons). While asking these questions, most votes, mirroring the leading question’s results, were clearly in favor of Regattas. Though, as more people answered these questions, I noticed how more and more people opted out of voting on the dietary restrictions. Now, most of them were because it simply did not apply to them. They had no allergies, weren’t lactose intolerant or celiac, ate meat and animal byproducts, so they never really paid attention to what was being offered to those who couldn’t. As I kept asking though, those who did rely on the dietary restrictive options in the dining halls also opted out of voting. Not because they were uncomfortable answering, but in their own form of protest due to them believing both dining halls were inadequate when it came to that department.
Though the survey started off as a very basic one on preferred dining halls, now I was curious about the dietary options people were so upset about. From what I saw before, I genuinely thought the school was pretty progressive when it came to this. There were always numerous signs showing what they had in both halls and if any of the foods offered in the numerous lines had nuts, dairy, gluten, etc. They offered different beef substitutes at the burger bar in Regs, such as turkey and impossible burgers. Additionally, there always seemed to be a couple of vegan options, so hearing the numerous complaints from those it actually affected confused me. When I asked one sophomore about why she felt neither of them deserved her vote, she stated that half the time the website lied about the dietary options available, giving her a false sense of choice. Another person mentioned how one of his friends who relied on these options felt like they were seen as secondary, and not as prioritized as they should be.
Though there were many who voted “neither” due to their disappointment, there was an equal number of those who feel like the dining halls do an adequate job. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been any votes to base the percentage off of. These differences can be caused possibly by the different dietary restrictions people have. For example, another student claimed that Commons was great at accommodating needs, such as having a separate waffle maker for those who are celiac or do not consume gluten. Another student who instead voted for Regattas stated that the allergen bar in the middle was super helpful in ensuring food was separated and eased their concerns of cross-contamination. Most people who did vote stated that although the dietary restrictive options could be better and that there is always room for improvement, compared to other colleges and universities in the area the school is pretty good about it.
Though the majority of us do not rely on these options, it is obvious that those who do have strong opinions on the matter. I urge you, ask some of your friends how they feel about the options the school provides. Also, whether you prefer Commons or Regattas, thank the people giving you food, it really is not that hard, I promise.
