What are the most important factors when choosing a college? Location, sports, and its national ranking are assuredly things to consider. But what about food? After all, your university will be the place in which you consume your meals, possibly for all four years. Unfortunately, George Mason University falls well below the standard that students expect for their meal choices. Though the problem may lie within the company running the dining services, Sodexo.
On several occasions, college advice websites suggest to factor food choices when picking one's college. Even USA Today places food as one of their top 15 things to evaluate in a higher education setting. But how does Mason rank? Quite simply, on a national scale, it doesn't. According to a dining evaluation site, Mason does not even make the top 100. George Mason University places sixth among Virginia schools for dining services. However, this is not as impressive when the reader takes into consideration that Virginia Tech, James Madison University, and University of Richmond all are placed on the national list for best food. In fact, Virginia Tech has consistently ranked #1 on the national list for several years.
The most reliable source for satisfaction is the students themselves. I posted on my Mason graduating class' Facebook page with the following question: How satisfied are you with the food on campus? Out of the 33 responses, 22 students said they were "unsatisfied." Granted, this is not a scientific poll, but I do believe student input is a tell-tale sign of how the University ranks. I can personally attest to the times my friends and I have gone into Southside for dinner, only to find the food is bland, overcooked, or cold -- and sometimes all three. This is unacceptable among a college campus where incoming students are only offered three dining locations that accept their meal plan. However, this situation is Mason is not the first time our dining provider, Sodexo, has been in hot water among its clients.
Not only does Sodexo offer food for college campuses, but they also provide services for the U.S. military, and other government facilities, including prisons. And for the past few years, it has been a source of controversy in the food industry. In 2007, Sodexo provided Marine Corps mess halls with contaminated chicken, which later led to the company losing their contract for the Marine Corps. In 2010, Sodexo was caught choosing food suppliers based not on quality, but rather, how much Sodexo could benefit financially. This cut off local farmers from supplying food to the company. Shortly after this controversy, Sodexo paid $20 million to quiet disputes that it had overcharged school systems in New York for meals during the years 2004 to 2009. However, the most notorious scandal happened in 2013, when Sodexo found horsemeat in its products and had to extract operations from over 2,000 British schools, military bases, prisons, and sporting arenas. Additional reports against Sodexo include e.coli outbreaks, moldy milk, expired food, and even mistreatment of employees.
George Mason University can, and must, do better than this. Not only is our food sub par, but the University has chosen to stay with a company riddled with controversies. With some meal plans costing up to $2,660 per semester, it is safe to say that the students on campus deserve better food provided by a company without excessive controversies.
