Spring Break
New dining center "Trayless Tuesday" policy stirs debate
Stacy Litz
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: Ed-Op
Trayless Tuesday at the Handschumacher Dining Center has been promoted as an environmentally friendly idea, one that has now turned into a controversial, campus-wide debate.
This plan was developed in order to decrease the food waste that the dining center produces on a regular basis - the "eyes are larger than the stomach" philosophy. Drexel is not founder of the idea; Trayless Tuesday has popped up on other campuses as well.
The University of Maine instituted a similar program at its college, beginning with Tuesdays, expanding to Thursdays and eventually becoming completely trayless. Other schools quickly caught on, seeing Trayless Tuesday as a great way to lower food waste in cafeterias.
Drexel students, however, seems to have mixed feelings on the program.
A Facebook group, "Petition to End Trayless Tuesdays at Drexel," has over 300 members, and is open for discussion on the subject. While some claim that paying for a meal plan and tuition entitles trays as a service, others argue that those who have a problem with Trayless Tuesday are just lazy. The argument goes on and on.
Many think that having Trayless Tuesday won't change students' consumption habits in the long run. After suffering without trays on Tuesday, the next day they are just going to continue wasting food just as much as before. If there was a way to teach students how to conserve, rather than order a sandwich and only take a single bite, they may change their ways over time. Education may be the best way of dealing with environmental issues.
Some students even see Trayless Tuesday as being dangerous - one student claimed on the Facebook petition's message board that she "kept slipping on all the food and drinks that people were spilling everywhere. And everybody looked like they kept catching themselves."
Others claim that the plates are hot and can burn their hands. However, if going trayless is too much for students to handle, they can request a tray and will receive one.
This plan was developed in order to decrease the food waste that the dining center produces on a regular basis - the "eyes are larger than the stomach" philosophy. Drexel is not founder of the idea; Trayless Tuesday has popped up on other campuses as well.
The University of Maine instituted a similar program at its college, beginning with Tuesdays, expanding to Thursdays and eventually becoming completely trayless. Other schools quickly caught on, seeing Trayless Tuesday as a great way to lower food waste in cafeterias.
Drexel students, however, seems to have mixed feelings on the program.
A Facebook group, "Petition to End Trayless Tuesdays at Drexel," has over 300 members, and is open for discussion on the subject. While some claim that paying for a meal plan and tuition entitles trays as a service, others argue that those who have a problem with Trayless Tuesday are just lazy. The argument goes on and on.
Many think that having Trayless Tuesday won't change students' consumption habits in the long run. After suffering without trays on Tuesday, the next day they are just going to continue wasting food just as much as before. If there was a way to teach students how to conserve, rather than order a sandwich and only take a single bite, they may change their ways over time. Education may be the best way of dealing with environmental issues.
Some students even see Trayless Tuesday as being dangerous - one student claimed on the Facebook petition's message board that she "kept slipping on all the food and drinks that people were spilling everywhere. And everybody looked like they kept catching themselves."
Others claim that the plates are hot and can burn their hands. However, if going trayless is too much for students to handle, they can request a tray and will receive one.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
kagedmunky
Andy
posted 4/25/08 @ 5:23 PM EST
Trayless Tuesdays? Seriously, there are other ways to reduce waste without coming off as cheap in the end. This is like the emperor's new clothes where you tell the emperor he's wearing the latest, trendy, invisible clothes but he really isn't wearing any clothes at all! As people gawk in horror and poke fun as he walks around naked. (Continued…)
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