Students release a banner in the Viking Commons calling for an end of Aramark’s contract. Ella Banken//AS Review
By Hailey Murphy
Shred the Contract, a club dedicated to divesting from Aramark, held a demonstration in the Viking Commons during dinner on Monday to advocate for a self-operated dining system at Western.
A group of three students carried a sign into the dining hall reading “Build a Better Dining System with Us!” The sign was attached to purple balloons, and when let go, floated up to the ceiling. The balloons had #ShredTheContract written on the sides.
The club had a table outside the dining hall where they informed students about their grievances against Aramark and told them how they could get involved.
They also hung a paper sign by the table for students to write down changes they wished to see in the dining halls. Students wrote things like “more student consultation on meal planning,” “more vegan options” and “union for student workers.”
Shred the Contract hopes to add more student voices to this sign and present it to administration later in the year, senior Emmaline Bigongiari, a club officer, said.
Junior Michael Prostka, also a club officer, said the demonstration was to inform students about Aramark’s contract ending in 2021, and their campaign to switch to a self-operated system.
“We could have a dining option on our campus that wouldn’t necessarily need to be more costly, that could certainly be more transparent, that could more sustainable, and really wouldn’t support a large corporation like Aramark,” Prostka said.
Stephen Wadsworth, resident district manager for Aramark, didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Shred the Contract also informed students about their grievances against Aramark.
Aramark is Western’s food service provider, meaning it manages all dining halls and markets across campus. They also supply food to over 500 prisons across the U.S., according to Shred the Contract’s website, thus profiting off a system that disproportionately incarcerates people of color and other marginalized groups.
“I honestly had no idea [the prison industrial complex] was so involved with our school,” said Erica Antonio, a freshmen who witnessed the demonstration. ”I’m honestly surprised because of how progressive Western is, but it’s super cool to see students doing this.”
Aramark served food to prisoners containing maggots and rocks, according to a PBS article. Riots also have been sparked in prisons due to health concerns.
Shred the Contract is also concerned about Aramark’s treatment of employees. There have been accusations of sexual harassment and assault from Aramark employees across the country, according to the website.
Shred the Contract has also collected testimonies from Western students who’ve experienced unjust working conditions, such as being reprimanded for calling in sick.
“This is a job that they have along with being a full time student,” said Peter Dyer, another freshmen to talk with Shred the Contract outside the Viking Commons. “If this job is stressful and they’re being treated not fairly, that’s even more things to be stressed and anxious about.”
In holding the demonstration, the club was participating in the Campaign for Real Meal’s national week of action. Universities across the country including Clarke College, Fort Lewis College, Johns Hopkins and the University of Washington are participating, demanding that real food be served in dining halls across college campuses, Bigongiari said.
Real food, as defined by the Real Food Challenge, is food that is community-based, ecologically-sound and humane.
Many colleges across the country are shifting away from corporations like Aramark and adopting self-operated dining systems, Prostka said. New York University and Evergreen State College are both currently transitioning away from Aramark.
Some colleges already have their own self-operated systems, like Central Washington and Washington State Universities.
“At WSU, they do have students in all levels of the dining system, including upper management,” Prostka said. “And those students voice their input on things such as – certainly what they want to see and what they want to eat – but also how certain cultural foods are represented.”
According to Shred the Contract’s pamphlet, they hope to create a system that meets the dietary and cultural needs of Western students. They also want food from sustainable and equitable producers who prioritize labor rights.
“We’re not trying to be combative here,” Prostka said. “This is certainly supposed to be a positive event. It’s supposed to just say, hey, our contract is going to be expired 2021 no matter what, so we’d just like to see the best outcome and the best, we think, would be a self-operated dining system.”
Shred the Contract meetings are every Monday at 6 pm in Bond 104. The club can be contacted through shredthecontract@gmail.com or at tinyurl.com/stcwestern