The Megaphone (Georgetown, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 4, 1976 Page: 6 of 11
eleven pages : ill. ; page 22 x 15 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
• I
0
Students Evaluate the Gastrodome: Quality of Food, Suggested Price Increase, Board Card Identification Ideas
v
9. Do you feel that off-campus students should
t
be required to
f
i
better."
)
(
10.6%
78.0%
11.3%
2. How do you rate the quality of the food served in the Com-
mons?
24.4%
61.9%
13.7%
(NOTE: Many students who took the poll are not aware that
this is done and answered this as a hypothetical question. This
policy is administered by the office of fiscal affairs, not
44.6%
44.6%
10.8%
GOOD
FAIR
POOR
55
89
21
1 68
GOOD
FAIR
POOR
3.0%
89.9%
7.1%
3. Do youfeel the services have improved over those offered
before Shamrock was contracted?
5
151
12
168 total
4.2%
41.9%
53.9%
6
133
25
164 total
YES
NO
INDIFFERENT
YES
NO
SAME QUALITY
4. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being superior) how would you rate
the performance of Shamrock?
Shamrock.)
YES
NO
INDIFFERENT
>
convocation)?
YES
NO
INDIFFERENT
Commons staff?
GOOD
FAIR
POOR
15
no
Ml total
74
74
18
166 total
41
104
23
168 total
14
14’
26
39
26
16
13
6
0
0
154 total
Another contributing factor
to the loss of money in the Com-
mons is that the expenses of
, utilities and maintenance are
not passed on to the student.
This has become especially
critical since electricity and
other utilities have had such
lrge increases in the last few
years.
Other problems presented by
Jones centered around control
of the amount of food wasted,
referring to food left on the
plate by students and leftovers
that never are served.
Jones also said that at pre-
sent, people .who eat second
helpings increase costs by ap-
proximately 20%.
The Commons director
emphasized that he did not feel
that all the costs he named
should be passed on to the
students. Jones is working on
several projects to decrease the
expense of operating the Com-
mons.
One such project has to do
with people who go through
meal lines but who do not have
board cards. He is discussing
with the food service com-
mittee such methods as punch
cards and identification cards
to control abuse of Commons
privilege.
Another project is to try to
find menus that are agreeable
to the student body, but which
are less expensive than present
menus.
An increase in student board
fees would first have to be con-
firmed by the University ad-
three parts meat loaf, a dash of
jello, four parts Dr. Pepper and
one cigarette butt for good
taste.
As an neurotically aesthetic
experience, this is fine, but if
one is disgusted with the food,
he should talk to Mr. Jones
about it.
Mr. Jones' office is located in
the Commons, .or he may be
reached at extension 305; either
way, it sure won't hurt to take
gripes to him.
— Diane O. Broady
7
70
90
167 total
9.1%
9.1%
16.9%
25.3%
16.9%
10.4%
8.4%
3.9%
0.0%
0.0%
33.3%
53.9%
12.7%
55.9%
3.7%
81.1%
15.2%
"If the special meals are going to be served to the special peo-
ple, then they should not come out of our food budget. Make
them pay for it. We're tired of leftovers from their f’special"
dinners. The students coming in after 5:15 don't get any and
then they feel cheated. Enough for all or none for all!! (That
goes for any meal!)"
"Also we have been having roast beef for the last month in
some fashion. I love beef, but gosh, people do get tired of it.
P.S. Sarge, we need you!"
"Needs to be improved as far as food. The staff is great. They
are very kind toward the students."
In reference to question 10 — "Why are off-campus students
different from campus students!"
"The people who serve the food in the lines and wait on tables
are nice and friendly.
"In the interest of self-interest, I would like to see a greater
variety of vegetables and a lot less meat. Not only would that
make a meal at the Commons more palatable for vegetarians,
like myself, but would be much cheaper and the money saved
could be put to use elsewhere in the food budget."
"More music."
"Sanitation methods used in the Commons are unnecessarily
poor. They could easily be improved, and as are now pose a
potential health threat to the SU community."
pay higher board fees (as a
campus?
5. If the quality of the food service were improved, would you
be willing to have a reasonable increase in student board fees?
"Please try to have a dieter's plate, or at least a non-
fattening, non-starch or grease main dish other than just one or
two fattening dishes. Also, a salad bar all the time. Have Com-
mons open as much as possible, at least for coffee, studying, ,
etc. The Commons is very important to the students as a
meeting place for a variety of reasons. Also by some method let
us have music that we can hear during meals. We're paying for
it."
"Need more variety of salads."
"I hope that Mr. Jones will work with the students on special
occasions so that those students with meal cards could get food
for scheduled outings and picnics."
"They need to provide a unified meal — not just a little of this
and that. Black-eyed peas witn enchiladas, for example, is
dumb. So is hamburger buns for weiners with sloppy joes in-
stead of chili."
"I'm disappointed. Need a 5-day meal plan."
"Open the Commons on a continuous basis. For example,7:00
a.m. to 7:00 p.m. to let students drop in when they have time."
"I am tired of seeing (because I do not eat it) greasy and fried
foods. I feel like I am going to turn into a head of lettuce. I am
also tired of going out for dinner because of the meals."
"Have less special meals so the meals during the week can be
17. feel that students should be required to eat elsewhere
on special occasions when the Commons is used (such as fall
service charge) than students on
A Megaphone poll taken last week shows that 61.9
% of the students give the Shamrock food service a fair rating,
while 53.9% of the students surveyed give a poor rating to the
quality of the food served in the Commons.
A total of 169 students were polled on nine different aspects of
the new food service. The students were most in agreement on
whether they should be required to eat elsewhere on special oc-
casions with 81.1% of the students answering no, and on the
question of whether off-campus students should be required to
pay higher board fees with 89.9% of the students polled respon-
ding no.
Following is the result of the poll and some comments and
suggestions made by those surveyed:
1. How do you rate the services (in general) provided by the
Students’ Opinions About the Commons:
"Some members of the staff are very nice and treat you like a
person; most others just couldn't care less.
"Why do we have potato chips all the time — I do not think
potato chips are good nutritionally."
"I do not like the services because the food is not appetizing
as it was when Sarge was over it and I don't feel as free with the
food at breakfast time as I used to."
"Please get decent beef." •
"We need the radio played every night. It would greatly im-
prove the atmosphere."
"Perhaps take suggested recipes and try them out; pay the
help more; use punch cards so if we miss a meal we don't pay
for it."
"Flies, flies, flies!!"
"This is such a small campus that we should be able to have
more of the freedoms we used to have. I think the Commons
should stay open longer in the mornings for breakfast, etc. I do
think the food here is better than most institutional food, but
there's always room for improvement!! I think if everything
were relaxed a little more, we would be able to eat in peace."
"Let us eat breakfast until 9:30 a.m., please! (Or 9:15 a.m.)."
"I believe that Shamrock has not lived up to their contract in
many ways. The food is worse than ever and shows no sign of
improving. If Shamrock would live up to their contract and
provide us with decent meals, then I would be willing to have an
increase in board."
"Because of the poor quality of the food I have drained a
great deal of my financial resources through eating elsewhere.
I have put great thought in withdrawing from this food program
and eating elsewhere all of the time. Even at Stephen F. Austin,
in Nacogdoches, where the enrollment is some eight or nine
times greater, the food is 2,000% better. Something must be
done.
"I loved the Spanish custard. Also , Make-A-Sundae."
"The food has improved for some reason in just the past
week. I feel that there should be a salad bar out at lunch and
dinner all the time for those who have late classes. There should
be a dieter's plate."
8. How would you rate the attitude of the Commons staff
toward the students?
I wish that the staff would keep the food the same at the end of
the meal as it is at the beginning. In other words, if they start
, out serving baked potatoes, they shouldn't end up serving
mashed potatoes."
"Perhaps varying menus would make eating in the Commons
a more pleasurable experience. Having chicken may be cheap,
but it is disgusting for those of us who must eat it.
As to the service, I feel that the people who work in the Com-
mons should realize we do pay their salaries, and an occasional
smile might make for'better relationships.
Mr. Jones has been helpful in most instances that I have
heard of — he seems to be trying to make Shamrock work.
One must realize that not everyone is going to be satisfied by
any service produced where any number of people are in-
volved.
If I ever am turned out again for some damn convocation I
don't know what I'll do. I don't think the faculty or "important"
alumni care one way or the other where we dine, but we do!!
After all, we pay (once again referring to the money) for
everything, too."
' "What extra service is being provided for off-campus
students that is not for on-campus students? If anything, an off-
campus student eats in the Commons less simply because he or
she has further to come to get here. (I, by the way, am an on-
campus student.)
. If meal card prices must be raised because food prices are
higher, say so. Don't promise improved food and then fag out.
The attitude of Commons staff depends on the individual.
They are either really nice or really obnoxious."
"Serving times (especially breakfast) need to be extended."
"The food here is much better than any other institutional food
I've found. I strongly feel we should have a choice of 14 meals a
week or 21. All other campuses do this."
"The vegetables are cooked, as a whole, too long. The quality
of the meat has gone downhill."
"Many of the services we get are very good — where else do
staff members bus tables for the students? It's the quality and
variety of food that worries me. Some items in the past
semester have been what I consider inedible. Also, I know that
Shamrock has not lived up to their contract."
"I feel if each student gives his board card number, that is
sufficient. The sheets they used last year worked to prevent
kids from making up numbers."
"I feel that breakfast should be served for a longer time —
say until 10:00 or 11:00 a.m., because if one has a late class, he
misses the meals which he has paid for and are his."
"Hot food would be a definite improvement — thermometers
installed where easily viewed might alleviate the problem of
cold or lukewarm food.
"The reason for my opinion is because on several occasions
after eating here I have gone back to my room and thrown up.
This is strange because I have no history of any type of
problems, of this nature."
"I am aware of the fact that an increase in the cost of living
prevents the Shamrock people from being able to do too well,
bt some of the things they serve are really not edible!"
"The food service fails to maintain the quality that has
always been associated with this institution. The service is
poor, as is employee attitude. This is our goal —'Improvement
or Dismissal.' " _________
‘I would really like to have the homemade rolls back. We need
to have them on Monday nights. Shamrock has substituted
already-made rolls and they are mediocre at best. Also in
rating the food, I will admit that the food is sometimes quite
good (example: Monday-night lasagne) but on the whole is
quite poor (example: fried chicken)."
"Keep the steam table hot (especially on the weekends) so
the hamburgers, etc., don't get so cold; look up the recipe for
lasagna and see if it has parmesan cheese in it — shouldn't
have, I don't think; basically a pretty good food service
program."
"I feel very strongly that the breakfast time should be ex-
tended to 9:30 a.m. on weekdays and that we should be allowed
to come into the Commons to get whatever is left after 9:30 a.m.
(i.e., the doors should not be locked!)"
"Improve atmosphere."
"I would like to see a bigger variety of desserts (more than
one) per meal."
"Shamrock provides more meat and less casseroles than the
two other food services where I have been."
"Food is often cold."
"Some of the ladies who serve are partial to the students they
like. They will give some students special portions (larger or
certain combinations) and when the next student requests it,
they'll ignore him."
"I don't understand why the board prices continue to rise "to
improve the quality of food" — when it just gets worse."
"More variety in vegetables is needed (and lessons in cooking
them). "
"The foods served don't complement each other at all — e.g.,
enchiladas with black-eyed peas."
"The roast, steak, etc. have decreased in quality con-
siderably — what happened to the roast they carved last
semester?"
"The salad bar is good — should have more often."
"Vegetables are cooked too long."
"Meals are too starchy."
ministration. Dr. William
Jones, administrative vice-
president and provost, explain-
. ed that the University gives
Shamrock a designated amount
of money for each student and
the firm must work within the
budget. If more money is
budgeted than is needed, the
money is returned and used for
the next month's budget. The
Those students whose
masochistic tendencies have
(ed them to land a job in the
Commons have found out that
there are not only fifty ways to
leave your lover, but also one
hundred and twenty-three ways
to say, "I do not like this food."
Intelligent Southwestern
students have developed a new
mode for displaying their dis-
gust with the Commons food.
The message begins, as it did in
the beginning with our age-old
ancestors, the apes, with two
low grunts, and continues with
pt d yU feel is the best way to prevent food theft?
BOARD CARDS 45 . 29 6%
(as used now)
IDENTIFICATION CARDS 85
(with photo) 152 total
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 °
10
Shamrock firm is paid a stan-
dard fee which is not affected
by and does not affect the
monthly budgeting decision.
Dr. Jones said that he does ‘
not contemplate an increase ih
board fees; however, "we
haven't progressed far enough
into the semester to know if
there will be an increase or not;
we willknow by January."
by Marlon Ross
It was announced to the food
service committee two weeks
ago that students may receive a
$70 increase per semester in
board fees.
Alan Jones, director of the
University Commons, gave
____several reasons why the in-
crease may be necessary.
The first reason is inflation.
Jones gave the example of
coffee, which may increase
from $1.95 a pound to $5.00 a
pound by the first of next year.
Also, a 13% increase in milk
prices is predicted to come
soon. Jones said that this is in-
dicative of the way prices are
going and it naturally creates a
probhem io planning a budget.
The second reason for the
possibility of board fee increase
—is-that the Commons has been
operating "in the red" for
many years, and Jones is try-
ing to "play catch-up" with the
' budget. Among the problems
Jones cited was the fact that
the menus which students
receive now and which they
have received in the past are
very costly, especially in com-
parison to menus at other un-
iversities. For instance, at the
college where Jones worked
before he came to
Southwestern, more
sandwiches and casseroles,
which are relatively inexpen-
sive, were served. And whereas
SU students only pay ap-
proximately- $.55 per meal,
students at other universities
are paying about $1.00 per
meat----------——
7
November 4, 1976 THE MEGAPHONE A
R
“ug THE MEGAPHONE November 4, 1976
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The Megaphone (Georgetown, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 4, 1976, newspaper, November 4, 1976; Georgetown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1559976/m1/6/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Southwestern University.