Healthier food choices and a larger variety of vegan foods are among the changes students want in their dining experience at campus eateries.
Students discussed their desires for change in campus food at a University Services-held meeting Wednesday night at Cullen Oaks Apartments Community Center.
"The food is repetitive; not that great tasting, plus it could be a little bit healthier," said marketing junior Tram Tran. "Right now, it’s all burgers and pizza and Southern foods."
Nutrition senior Joshua Nixon said controlled portions are a key element of student health.
"If you allow everyone to keep eating, it’s going to get bad and lead to people becoming overweight," Nixon said. "Being a nutrition major, I want to see food labels on the foods being served in the dining halls."
Students were asked by dining service officials to answer a series of 15 questions at the meeting, such as: "Think about the dining service at OB and Moody Towers. What are some descriptive words or phrases that come to mind – positive or negative?"
Once all meeting information has been entered into a spreadsheet, University Services will look at the number of participants, determine how many times people commented on a certain category such as food variety, food quality or inviting environment, and tally it for the assistant vice president of University Services.
After all "hot topics" are identified, University Services and Dining Services will begin working to put student responses into action.
University Services and Dining Services officials said they are working together to make dining halls at Oberholtzer Hall and Moody places where people want to go for their meals.
Sevelia Johnson, Marketing Program manager for UH Dining Services, said the success of the meeting provided them with "honest and candid feedback with the services we are providing, and we want them to tell us how we are meeting their needs and expectations."
Auxiliary Customer Service Coordinator Maria Honey said students could expect dining experience changes as early as Spring 2009.
"Depending on the change, we can have some of those things done by spring semester. If the students are asking for vaulted ceilings in the dining halls, well that’s just not going to happen right now," Honey said.
For more information, contact Maria Honey at (713) 743-8940 or [email protected].
