The College will not go forward with the Carte Blanche food program next year, according to Karen Roth, director of Auxillary Services, and Toni Pusak, assistant director of Auxillary Services.
Carte Blanche is an all-you-can-eat dining option that was tested by Sodexho, the College's meal service provider, this past February. Although Sodexho and Auxillary Services received positive feedback on the new program, they feel that they need more time to ensure successful change.
"To implement at the beginning of next year, it was just not the right time," Roth said. "There were too many specifications and too many things that we wanted to involve the students in where we would not have the time to do this the way that we wanted to do it."
According to Roth, Auxillary Services will spend this summer taking "a critical look at specifications."
"Specifications" involve, for example, what type of poultry to use and the number of items to include in a salad bar. Once they have looked at everything, Roth said "we will sit down and start writing the proposals."
"We want to develop our program not based on one institution or one company, but really everything we have learned throughout this two-year process," she said.
Chris Portera, former SGA president, which was heavily involved in getting student feedback on the program, supported the delay.
"I was under the impression that we were going forth with the system, or at least that that was the intention," Portera said. "My concern was that the process had been a little rushed, so hearing (Auxillary Services) say 'no, we want to make sure we are doing this right,' is comforting."
He added, "this is something where good things come to those who wait."
Brian Mulvihill, SGA food liason, said, "I was disappointed, actually, that they weren't following through with it for next year, but I am glad that they are planning on developing it for 2004-05."
"I suppose that it was sort of rushed," Mulvihill added. "All of this was put together in five or six weeks of this semester. Had we started working on the program earlier, it might have been ready for next year."
According to Roth, the College plans to continue to involve students in the program's development.
Pusak said that they have met with the SGA and the Residence Hall Association.
We want to give students the program that they want," Roth said. "We also want it to be high quality and we know what we have seen and we know what is out there."
