Oracle Online

In the FSC, students and faculty collaborate to solve the problems and improve the food service. Tracy said the goal of the committee is to eventually become student run and involve members from all of the areas of Hamline including graduate school students, and commuter students.

The Double Bonus nights at Sorin are provided as an option for students to use up their declining balance. Tracy said many students have a lot of their declining balance left at the end of the semester and end up buying a bunch of pop and candy with it. She said this to be a waste and encourages students to use their declining balance throughout the semester on meals and the new option offered at Sorin.

Tracy said that the Double Bonus nights at Sorin started on March 1 offering steak for an extra $4. On March 8, Sorin offered students breaded shrimp. Future selections are to include chicken, salmon, and possibly some vegan entrees.

Tracy said 37 students opted to purchase the steak on the first night of the Double Bonus. They were hoping for more like 100 students, she said. Other ideas for spending declining balance include whole pizzas and turkies.

The FSC is also working on their communication with students to ensure these new options are actually taken advantage of by students. They are going to send more information about the meal plans out to students for next year and are thinking of including an orientation session.

According to Tracy, they have already sent out information to students with meal plans on what is included and how much of the students’ declining balance should be used each week to make sure there is none left over at the end of the semester. For example, students with the 14 and 19 meal plans should spend approximately $15 each week out of declining balance.

Tracy said that HARC would like the Food Service Committee to consider using cage-free eggs. The food service at Hamline is currently using certified humane eggs, however, Tracy says that they are still looking into getting cage-free eggs.

Unfortunately, said Tracy, Sysco, Hamline’s food supply company, does not carry the cage-free eggs. Hamline does not have the buying power to get Sysco to carry the product. However, the University of Minnesota, who also buy their food products from Sysco, does have the power. The U of M is currently voting on whether or not to use cage-free eggs. Tracy said that the product costs more and will, therefore, increase food costs for students. If the U of M decides to use the cage-free eggs, then Hamline will also be able to use them. If the U of M decides not to use the product, Tracy said they will look into other options for buying the product.