What influences a high school senior’s college decision more than food? For students with dietary restrictions, food accommodations are not only important but essential.
Freshman forensic psychology student, Mallory Holst, has celiac disease. When deciding which university to attend, Holst had to be very cautious of dining halls and if they could accommodate her allergy to gluten.
“Before coming to UNH, I spoke with the campus dietitian, Sam, about my allergy and how the dining halls would accommodate it,” said Holst. “I also had a discussion with her in the beginning of last semester, where she gave me a tour of all the stations and what I could eat.”
Ashley Greenwood, junior interior design student, can account for a similar experience. Greenwood suffers from allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, eggs and fish, making it difficult to find foods that she can eat.
Both Holst and Greenwood share similar opinions on the dining halls on campus.
“To an extent, yes, I will say they definitely accommodate better than other schools I toured, it did play a part in my decision-making on schools,” said Greenwood. “That doesn’t mean there still aren’t things that can be worked on.”
Greenwood made a point that for the general student body, there are plenty of food options, but for students with dietary restrictions, they feel limited to the same foods. Their concern isn’t the university’s ability to provide, but the content of what is served.
“Simple servings rotate the menu less frequently, and after having to eat three meals daily, you get kind of sick of eating the same things,” said Greenwood.
When comparing the two dining halls, Greenwood thinks that Food On Demand (FOD) is a hit or miss. In the past, FOD has changed their ingredients without modifying the menu. The other dining hall, Marketplace, is a safer option, given the variety and buffet-style service.
“Although the dining halls accommodate my food allergy, they are very limited on what they serve,” said Holst.
Samantha Standish, the university’s registered dietitian, shared the process of deciding weekly menus at meetings with the residential dining management team. The team consists of Standish, two campus executive chefs, the operations manager, the Front of House Marketplace manager and the marketing team.
“Many students dine with us three times a day, seven days a week, for up to 36 weeks each academic year,” said Standish. “We recognize that this routine can sometimes lead to menu fatigue or the perception that options never change, even when offerings rotate regularly.”
Standish works with students and the dining staff in efforts to aid the dining service in accommodating individual students. Standish encouraged students to make a list of preferred or favored products for her to reference when purchasing items for the simple zone.
“Each year is a new group of first-year students with different eating experiences we strive to meet the needs of,” said Standish.
The university also has a Dining Committee that meets monthly to review feedback on dining and improvements. If you are interested in providing feedback on the university’s dining services, reach out to the co-chairs, Dean Ophelie Rowe-Allen at [email protected] and Greg Overend at [email protected].
If you want to get in touch with Standish or dining services, email [email protected] or [email protected]. For updates on dining hall menus, food trucks and pop-ups, visit the dining hall Instagram, @unewhavendining.
