Renovations coming to Student Union Building to support food security

The Student Union Building will be renovated to add a space dedicated to food security initiatives, says Dalhousie Student Union executives. 

The announcement was made at a town hall hosted by the DSU on Sept. 23, where union executives and students discussed campus food access. 

The event was part of Beet Street Market Food Fest, a week of activities aimed at bringing the community together and promoting a stronger campus food system. 

The DSU is working to expand resources for food security groups on campus, says Eyafee Al Hossain, DSU vice-president internal.

“The exec team is looking to give more access to students; that’s our main goal,” says Al Hossain. “Our first priority is that food of the best quality will be served to students.”

Renovating the SUB to make room for student-run food initiatives is part of the union’s efforts. The new space will include a dedicated spot for the Beet Street Market, a student-run food market that operates weekly in the SUB. The market’s new home will include room to store food, improving organizers’ ability to exchange food on campus. 

DSU President Maren Mealey says the union approved the new space, and renovations will “hopefully” start soon. 

Limited restaurant hours

Limited service hours of on-campus restaurants can make food difficult to access, says town hall attendee Elisabeth Pickart, a fourth-year sustainability and French student. 

“A lot of [food] services only run for a short period of time, or don’t run past 4 p.m.,” she says. “It can be very limiting, especially if you don’t live on campus or aren’t here at typical daytime hours.”

Al Hossain says the DSU is exploring ways to support on-campus food services so they can stay open longer, improving accessibility for students.

Soph Boucher, a Beet Street staffer and fifth-year Dalhousie student, says food access is an important issue for students.

“Food is expensive, it’s inaccessible and unaffordable. There are not a lot of places to buy food when you’re in this part of the city,” says Boucher.