Amid government planning for education cuts and tuition hikes, classrooms and lecture halls across London emptied as tens of thousands of university students flooded into chilly city streets. Gathering outside of the University of London Student Union building and, joined by high school students, London’s educated youth had gathered, ready to be heard. Whitehall, a main artery of Central London shut down.
The usual opportunists took advantage of the crowd to indulge in mayhem, and although students intervened directly to stop the vandals, the protesters were quickly ‘kettled’ and contained by riot squads. While no one could get out of or into the Whitehall kettle, the police cordon could not contain the students’ outrage.
Reports streamed in from across the UK; an estimated 130,000 had gathered in Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield, and many other cities in a national day of student action and solidarity. As far north as Scotland, where tuition is free, students rallied to protest their government even considering charging tuition.
Twelve universities saw buildings occupied, including Oxford and Cambridge. The protests received global media attention and British politicians stuttered apologies, if empty ones.
All told it was a fine example of students standing up for themselves in the form of large-scale activism and civic engagement. An example that Nova Scotia’s tuition-hiking government will probably sleep easy knowing we Nova Scotia students would never have the guts to follow.
As the police dispersed the last remaining demonstrators in London, on this side of the pond, in their own small way, students at Dalhousie were exercising their under-used right to self-determination and free thought by asking themselves if ceding control of food services in the SUB was a good idea.
Now most Dal students, if you asked them, would perhaps, if at all, be only dimly aware that they are members of a union, that as union members they own a big building in the middle of campus, that they are exclusively entitled to decide what happens in that building, and that, in general, despite what years of training have taught them, being a student is sometimes not limited to showing up when and where and doing precisely what they are told, according to the instructed deadline.
Roughly 50 of those with a slightly firmer grasp of these principles gathered on Nov. 24, in room 224 of our building to discuss a proposal from the University administration that would fundamentally change our building and our rights within it.
One of the things that we as union members do is collectively pay into a pot of money which is administered for the benefit of us all; society funding, student advocacy, affordable health and dental plans, the Gazette; the list of services the DSU supports is long. Of all the DSU services, perhaps none has a more immediate effect on students than the food services; think Tim Horton’s, Booster Juice, Just Us!, Pizza Pizza, the SUB cafeteria and the Grawood.
Currently, food services in the SUB are contracted out to Sodexho, a French multinational corporation that describes itself as specializing in “Quality of Life Solutions” with 50 million consumers served worldwide daily. Sodexho
manages catering services and negotiates sub-contracts with franchises like Booster Juice and Tim Hortons, paying the DSU a commission of 10% of its earnings, roughly $125,000 a year.
This isn’t an ideal arrangement. Despite trumpeting its corporate citizenship, Sodexho is responsible first and foremost for generating profits and growth for its shareholders. The meals Sodexho sells are made largely from mass-produced ingredients sourced far from Halifax. At the end of the day corporate food is unsustainable food. However things may be about to change.
The term of Sodexho’s contract with the DSU is set to expire in 2011 and our union will have the opportunity to rethink, retool and revolutionize the food services in the SUB. With strong and growing food and sustainability movements on campus, a vibrant, well- supported local farmer’s market, and a business school buzzing with young entrepreneurs, the future of food service in the SUB is an opportunity for brave and innovative ideas and people. That is, if we don’t give up our right to decide what food gets served first.
At the Nov. 24 town-hall meeting, DSU president Chris Saulnier presented a proposal from the University administration in which the students would cede control over food services in the SUB as part of a $9-million renovation of the existing building.
For the full story on the SUB proposal read the story “Students skeptical of joint food deal” by Samantha and Bethany on page 4.
With its own food services contract also set to expire, the University is seeking an agreement that would create a “Single Campus Food Service Provider”; one corporate food contract to rule them all.
The University’s goal is two-fold: one big contract would be more attractive to bidders, putting the University in a better negotiating position while at the same time providing space for a new dining hall to serve Risley and a new planned residence next to Memorial Arena. The big benefit for the DSU would be an expanded SUB that would include a new entrance/bus terminal on Lemarchant, new food service facilities, expanded student space and a LEED retrofit.
In terms of financing the renovation Dalhousie would put up two dollars for every dollar the DSU puts up. The DSU will be guaranteed revenue at current levels, with any additional profits split between students and the University. Though superficially attractive—no one would disagree in principle with an improved SUB—this proposal should not be accepted by students.
Council has been given a week to decide this issue. Both parties have known the food contracts would expire in 2011. Had this proposal come earlier the DSU would have had time to consult with the student body. One week is not enough time to seek a consensus on an issue that ought to be decided by student referendum not rushed deliberation in council. If we cede our right to negotiate food services contracts in our building we would never get that right back. Regardless of what’s on the table making this decision in a week is reckless.
The agreement would explicitly forbid the DSU from allowing “any of its societies to establish any other food service outlets” or from selling food other than “hosting one-time bake-sales.”
This coming from an administration that last week closed down CAF’s campus food garden. (See Op-Ed pg 8.)
Furthermore the budget for the SUB expansion has been capped by the University at $9-million: the budget for the new Mona Campbell building was $33-million. We need to see what less than 30% of the Mona Campbell would realistically get us before we commit. We should also see what the $3-million we’re currently able to put up would get us if we ride solo on a SUB renovation. Too much is at stake to even consider deciding this proposal in seven days.
Can $9-million really make this…
…into this? http://dalnews.dal.ca/2010/11/24/food.html
As an enticement, the University has offered the DSU one “food service outlet to be operated by a locally owned, independent food service provider.” One. If DSU food sovereignty survives the next seven days, why don’t we take this as the opportunity it is to take change into our own hands and be the active, engaged and socially responsible community we, as students, should be.
We can complain and let ourselves be pushed into a bad deal or we can make ourselves heard. We can change things, we just need to try. We students should demand that ALL food service outlets in the SUB be operated by locally owned, independent food service providers.
We’re young, we’re bright, we’re ready for big new ideas and we’re ready to say no to corporate food.
Did anyone ask you what you wanted to eat today?
Someone wants to know. Email Chris Saulnier: dsupres@dal.ca.
Show up to the DSU council meeting on Dec.1. Write a letter to the Gazette. Comment online.
Have your say.
-JT
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