After instances of throwing up, feeling sick to her stomach, and contracting food poisoning this past fall semester, Mercy University student Elisabeth Lyngset created a petition that would gain student support in an attempt to change the future of Mercy’s dining.
The petition has called out Mercy to let on-campus dorming students be able to have different meal plans options instead of one and have Mercy improve their food services, plus allow a forum with transparent communication to discuss all dining matters and address areas in need of improvement.
Students quickly jumped to sign the petition with over 100 signatures within a few days of being released. Students have even gone as far as to showcase the food being served to them with public Instagram accounts, including @mercys_finest and @mercy_mealplan. Some of the food has included pink hamburger meat, chicken with feathers on it, and piles of leftovers mixed together.
In addition to the undercooked meat quality, some students, including psychology sophomore Aliyah Serbu have also expressed straying away from any form of milk and milk products after experiences with expired milk. Serbu’s friend, who chose to remain anonymous to the Impact, recalled an expired dairy incident and said, “I was in class holding my stomach in pain.”
With such food and beverage quality as concerned by students, they feel as though the only meal plan options for dormers of $2,000 a semester is not worth the expensive cost and leaves them with no other options. Accounting freshman Mason Gifford said, “If you live on campus, you need a meal plan; there is no other option, and you don’t know where else to turn.”
He added,“As students, we are trying to save money; therefore, we opt for the meal plan. However, that restricts us from going to other places, and when the food is not good quality, it’s a wall.”
Fellow students agreed including commuters like business administration senior Eduardo Acosto who shared, “I chose the meal plan of $525. I have 50 swipes and $140 dining dollars. It’s not enough for the semester, but I try to make it work.” Such meal options and issues have raised concerned in all types of students, including athletes who try to count calories and obtain protein from cooked meat.
The food options have not only seemed to lack in quality but also in diversity, according to students.
Psychology sophomore Criselle Fernandez said, “The only vegan option they have is the salad bar, surrounded by pizza, chicken nuggets, or rice and beans. It’s not diverse in terms of culture.”
However, Acosto, an international student, said, “I like that they try to be diverse; they could improve and add from other cultures, try to switch a little bit.”
On the days where there is exceptionally delicious food offered at Mercy’s dining, it can seem like a battlefield.
Gifford continued, “If they have good food, they scoop it for you themselves because everyone wants good food, but you can’t have enough because there is a restriction in it for you…I think all the food should be good enough. Therefore, we are not fighting for it.”
Virgen Espinal, Floor Manager for the Hudson Cafe, has received feedback from students regarding allergens, proteins, food interests, and other issues in order to accommodate with their needs.
“We try very hard to satisfy everyone.”
She is currently working on the menus to include more diversity in the food, such as gluten free, halal food, and more.
“We want people to come to the cafeteria and actually feel excited.”
However, she says she hasn’t heard any issues from dormer students about the meal plan.
For further concerns, Espinal expressed how students can reach out to residential life or approach her since she is often working on the floor.
Orla Fitzsimons, Executive Director for Operational Services, also addressed any concerns and said to the Impact last semester, “Everyone is welcome to attend the food advisory group meetings that are held throughout each semester in partnership with Gourmet. Upcoming meetings are advertised through campus groups and on social media so please be on the lookout for the next one. We discuss issues and make suggestions on how to improve café menu’s and offerings.”
Those who want to become involved can email [email protected].
Fitzsimons also pointed out the significance of a dietician for students and added, “Having a dietician available has been a tremendous help to our students. The health center, accessibility, dining services and others refer students for guidance on how to best manage a dietary needs, nutritional need or to talk through food options and ideas. The dietician meets with students on a regular basis and feedback has been very positive.”
Dietician Erica Rush can be reached at [email protected].
The National Library of Medicine state that college students are one of the most at-risk populations for food poisoning in the country due to risky food behaviors, according to a study titled “Food Safety Attitudes in College Students: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis of a Conceptual Model” published in 2013. Yet the report stated the number is high because most college students are preparing meals for themselves likely for the first time and put their food at risk by risky food handling, poor consumption strategies, prolonged exposure to airborne germs and diseases and their attitude towards washing hands.
While the study focuses more on preparation of their own food, the report states, “Due to the challenges of obtaining a college education, many students eat whatever is convenient.”
Since Mercy’s recent transition from college to university, Serbu expressed, “As a university, we should be improving the game.”
Her fellow psychology sophomore Fernandez said, “Mercy is not open about the cafeteria; they are approachable in everything except that.”
Mercy University students have suggested ways to improve their dining options and quality. A finance sophomore Brian Ito said, “I would like to write suggestions to make the students more involved in what we want. Make us something you would want to eat yourself.”
Various students have chimed in on the poll page of Change.org and offered their comments:
“Main is crazy. You can’t even order egg and cheese sandwiches anymore. When I asked for an egg and cheese they handed me two eggs and said ‘make it yourself.’” – Olive T.
“The food at Mercy has taken a severe decline since last year (not to say that last year was any better.) Mercy got rid of the best part of their food options, the victory dining options, and replaced it with Freshens. They’re constantly out of ingredients and the food is either undercooked and soggy, or just barely cooked enough and extremely bland and borderline inedible.” – Jonathan Lentz
“I have literally skipped meals cause there is nothing good to eat.” – Marie Cowhey
“I go to the Manhattan campus but the food is just as bad…It’s chicken rice and vegetables every day, with variation on the protein. There will be days when I’d rather not eat at all than eat what they’re serving.” – Amora Brown
Lyngset’s petition has reached almost 470 signatures and can be accessed here.
Since her petition’s release, Lyngset was invited and attended a Student Government meeting where she was able to voice student concerns to the board and Fitzsimons, who also attended. Fitzsimons invited Lyngset onto a committee with other students who can openly express the issues they face with Mercy’s overall dining experience. The committee hosted one meeting in February that Lyngset was not able to attend but she hopes to attend the next one when it is announced.
A separate nutritional study stated that the adage is more truth than legend – that students on campus for the first time are more susceptible to weight gain, and that one in four students will gain 10 pounds are more. Poor diet is attributed to poor grades and prone to illnesses and sickness, it says, and those who gained weight ate fewer fruits and vegetables and fatty foods than those who did not gain the weight. Depression, anxiety, irritability and sleep loss can also be attributed to a poor diet, according to the study.
Before 2014, the U.S. Department of Health recommended its famous Food Pyramid system and a daily allotment of 2,000 calories. Since, the U.S. Department of Health has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the concept of MyPlate, which moved the four basic five groups to five, which is a concept that reduces the suggested amount of dairy and grains and increases the amounts of vegetables and fruits. It’s full PDF of eating habits and suggestions can be found here. The new suggestion that half of a person’s diet should be fruits and vegetables, and that 2,000 calories is not necessarily needed, depending body type.
Shop Simple is an app endorsed by the USDA for all to use to help shop effectively and wisely regarding diet.
If you are a student and would like to share your Mercy dining experience at the Dobbs Ferry, Bronx, or Manhattan campus with us, we can be reached out to at [email protected].
