The Durango Herald recently reported on graffiti that was left by Fort Lewis College students on an archaeological site near Bluff, Utah. These markings were connected to an Outdoor Pursuits Yoga in the Backcountry that occurred in October.
On Wednesday, Connor Cafferty, student body president, said the recent defacing of Native American ruins by a group of FLC students is disappointing, but there is confidence in OP resolving the problem.
“I think that it is a real shame that it happened, and I understand that stances where it is said that the student didn’t realize they were doing something wrong,” Cafferty said.
There is full confidence in Brett Davis and Tom Whalen, the coordinators of Outdoor Pursuits, to handle the problem accordingly, he said.
“I hope that nothing like this happens again, and that we can learn from it, and that the appropriate discipline happens from all parties,” he said.
Possible Meal Plan Change
A proposed change to the on-campus meal plan, an update on the Real Food Challenge, and a proposed modification to the travel/event grant were discussed at this week’s ASFLC meeting.
The change in meal plan would be enacted for the Fall 2017 semester, and the proposed change would affect breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Jill Wiegert, director of the Student Union Building, said.
“With the new meal plan for Fall of 2017 we would go back to the traditional meal plan which would be three meals all you care to eat Monday through Friday, and two meals on the weekend which would be brunch and dinner,” Wiegert said.
The reason for the proposed change to the meal plan is so confusion among freshman about the various details of the meal plan, such as how many dining dollars they have, could be straightened out, she said.
“It can be frustrating for first-time freshman, if they think that the lunch period is all you can eat, instead of payment based, and they bring this big plate of food and have a $20 bill when it comes time to pay,” she said.
Another reason for the possible change is that many students with a meal plan spend their dining dollars before the semester is over, so their options are limited to just breakfast and dinner, she said.
The problems that face this move is for the students who do not have a meal plan can not just pop in and pay $3 for a slice of pizza, so they would have to pay a fee to eat during that time, Wiegert said.
“The move could also affect retail operations like The Rocket, but the specifics aren’t clear right now, but there would still be dining dollars for students just not as much as they have right now,” she said.
The new meal plan would be very close in price to what current meal plans are, Wiegert said.
“The biggest thing I would support this for is there is so much confusion for incoming freshman as it is, and I think that the difference between SkyCash and dining dollars can be very detrimental to the experience,” Cafferty said.
For off-campus students there would be the option to purchase blocks of meals for those looking to utilize the campus dining options, Wiegert said.
The idea will be broached to students throughout the week in various forms, and from there it will be determined if a survey from the student body is needed, she said.
The change to the dining plan will be voted upon by the committee in the coming weeks so the initiative can be ready for fall semester of 2017.
Real Food Challenge Update
The Environmental Center also sent representatives to stop by to give an update on how the Real Food Challenge did for 2015-2016, as well goals that it has for the future.
The Real Food Challenge is a student-driven campaign that is dedicated to changing the food system within colleges to one that is more socially just and ecologically responsible.
“Schools commit to changing a certain amount of their dining budget to shifting their foods to be real,” Kaidee Akullo, a Real Food Challenge team member, said.
What constitutes a “real” food is that it is ecologically sound, fair trade, humane, and/or local, Akullo said.
The goal of the Real Food Challenge is to shift $1 billion of a college campus’ dining dollars into real foods, Akullo said.
“So far $60 million have been shifted from conventional growing and harvesting methods into real food methods,” she said.
The real food percentage at Fort Lewis College increased from 2 percent to 7 percent in 2015-2016, Aolani Peiper, the Real Food Challenge coordinator, said
The goal for Fort Lewis College is to shift 20 percent of the food spending dollars to real foods by 2020, Akullo said.
To reach this objective The Environmental Center wants to reach out and educate students on the cause, Peiper said.
“We also utilize vote real campaigns which give the eaters in the dining hall a say in what foods they would like to change and what real foods they would like to see,” Peiper said.
Possible Travel/Event Grant Form Modification
Also discussed at the meeting was a proposed modification to the travel and event grant forms.
Certain details on what the funds will and will not pay for should be made more specific within the forms themselves, Ian Fullinwider, student senator and chair of student services, said.
A specific breakdown of RSO expenses on the application itself would allow for less confusion for RSOs and it would also let the ASFLC see where the exact expenses are occurring, Harrison Thrasher, student senator, said.
“I would like to see more specific expenses so that we can see exactly where this money is going instead of just a general idea,” Thrasher said.