Amid the university's initiatives to provide students with alternatives to drinking and attempts at promoting greater diversity on campus, the International Student Union has raised objections to a university policy that might restrict the group's ability to bring an authentic cultural experience to campus.
Under the premise of guarding itself against potential lawsuits and protecting students from improperly prepared food, the university administration has made a more comprehensive effort to enforce its catering policy. Although the Baker University Center's policy has been in effect for sometime now, the ISU has objected to the stricter enforcement, which will make it more difficult for the group to receive an exemption to the policy and be allowed to prepare its own food for its events. Such an exemption is critical for the ISU to provide its members with an authentic cultural experience, and traditional cuisine is a vital component of the events.
Further, the university's justifications for enforcing a stricter catering policy, which OU has offered to support its decision, seem somewhat flimsy. It is difficult to believe that OU would face a major legal threat if the food served at the event were to be prepared improperly, but even if this is the case, there are likely other less extreme measures that could be taken. The university could possibly look into developing a waiver that could be used to minimize their liability in these matters, or potentially the ISU could be given a chance to assume the responsibility if such a chance would present itself.
The fact remains that whether it was the university's intention or not, the decision to make the policy more stringent could be interpreted as a financially motivated one. Using the Baker Center catering service is likely far more expensive to the ISU than preparing the food themselves, and could also produce a lesser quality product.
If OU is serious about providing students with a plethora of recreational options other than drinking, the university should embrace the wholesome learning experience that the ISU can provide. It is not often that a local campus event provides students with both a good learning environment and an alternative to drinking. The ISU seems committed to providing students with the type of alternate social options that the university usually would support, and it would be a shame if these benefits were lost over some small red-tape issue.
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Food policy subverts McDavis' goals
