Ora Nelson
Staff Writer
Zach Henson
Editor-in-Chief
If you have concerns or praises regarding the dining services at Troy University, now is the time to voice them.
Although an exact end date has not been released, Troy’s contract with Sodexo (the current dining facilities vendor) expires soon. The university is accepting bids from Sodexo and other vendors for a new contract to cover all food services on campus.
“There’s definitely student concerns about quality of food as you can see on (the Troy student Facebook page),” said Morgan Long, a junior sport management major from Birmingham, the SGA vice president of campus activities and a known member of the contract renewal committee.
Many students have taken to the Troy Students Facebook page to bring attention to issues, including raw or unidentifiable food and poor service throughout campus.
“The quality of the food is pretty sporadic at times,” Long said. “There’s very undercooked food or overcooked food.
“The service has been an issue addressed by students — inconsistent service. You hear complaints about options and hours on campus.”
The contract renewal committee is still in the beginning stages of the bidding process and is waiting to hear from several vendors, Long explained.
This contract will not only affect the Trojan Dining Hall, but all of the food services on campus, including those in the Trojan Center and MSCX, Boar’s Head, Moe’s and Herb’s Place.
Students can send their thoughts to Long at mlong152162@troy.edu or at the Food Advisory Council of Troy (FACT) meeting on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. in the Civic Ballroom on the second floor of the Trojan Dining Hall.
“We listen to student concerns, the plus, minus,” said Ibrahim Yildirim, the general manager for Sodexo. “They basically lay out their concerns and we follow up with their concerns.
“We try not to be defensive about it; we try to respond to what they’re looking for.”
The FACT meetings are a great way for Sodexo to hear student voices, according to Emma Turner, the SGA student welfare committee chair.
“Sodexo has always done a great job of listening to students through surveys, FACT meetings and even through posts on Facebook,” Turner said.
Over the past two weeks, the Tropolitan has contacted Sodexo management, the SGA office and Troy University student services and financial administration and has not yet been able to obtain a copy of the current contract with Sodexo, information regarding the standards expected in the next contract or a list of the members of the contract renewal committee.
The Tropolitan staff will continue to search for this information and update students as new information is found.
Editor’s Note: The Tropolitan urges all Troy University students to contact SGA representatives, such as Morgan Long, and other faculty members to voice their opinions through email, social media and FACT meetings. We would love to hear from our readers about the experiences and thoughts they send to the SGA, faculty and Sodexo.
