Remember: Dining workers are human, too

Jen Crystal, Editor in Chief

Jane Flautt, Managing Editor

Cameron Cushing and Sofia Gonzalez, Senior Editors

Lauryn Williams, Deputy Editor

Leeza Barstein, Jack Yuanwei Cheng, Juliana Giacone, Samantha Goldman, Natalie Kahn, and Ariella Weiss, Hannah Taylor, Associate Editors

Leah Breakstone, Dalya Koller, News Editors

Cayenn Landau, Features Editor

Tibria Brown, Acting Forum Editor

Aiden Guthro, Sports Editor

Megan liao, Arts & Culture Editor

Smiley Huynh, Owen Chan, Photography Editors

Isabel Roseth, Copy Editor

Julia Hardy, Acting Copy Editor

Anna Martin Acting Layout Editor

Zachary Goldstein, Eden Osiason, Online Editors

Diving into dining dilemmas

Along with some of the improvements being made to the dining experience at Brandeis come some concerns that have been brought to the attention of this editorial board. One editorial board member recounts speaking to a dining hall worker on the issue of inconsistencies between what is offered via the app versus in-person ordering. A dining hall worker at Louis’ Deli complained that every morning she had to manually cross out many of the ingredients listed on the Starship App, simply because Louis’ Deli never received the ingredients to begin with. When asked if it would be better to order in-person or online, the dining worker still suggested that students order via the app, because the a-la-carte in-person ordering option, which was recently introduced this semester, could potentially be even more unreliable. Since the paper menus are printed out every day with a set list of ingredients, they are not updated to always match what is in stock or what has been delivered to each dining location.

This presents a particular conflict for students who appreciated the previous ease and speedier service provided by Upper Usdan’s Dining Hall services. Last semester, although there were fewer options available online, students could more efficiently order through the Starship App. The benefit of ordering from the app only was that students received estimates of the time that it would take to get their food, allowing them to better plan their schedules around mealtimes. Now, students are compelled to order in-person, as the options have become more plentiful this way — the tradeoff, however, is that students no longer have any way to estimate how long their orders will take. Furthermore, this editorial board has heard complaints from students about inaccuracies with the Starship App’s notification system. Students are being notified that their Dunkin’ orders are ready for pickup, when in fact they have not even started being made. This leads to a stressful situation for workers and students when they arrive at Dunkin’ expecting their items to be ready for pickup, end up having to wait as more and more people show up questioning where their orders are as workers scramble to fulfill them.

It is evident to this editorial board that the strain the current system has caused on both dining workers and students, especially during dining rush hours. This board also questions the motivations behind the switch from only ordering via the app last semester, to having fewer options available via the app and more options available in-person this semester. Does this mean that in-person orders are prioritized in terms of timeliness? How do the dining workers prioritize which order requests to fulfill first? It remains to be seen how these changes have resulted in a more efficient ordering system at Upper.

In the past semester or so, the Hoot Market has greatly diversified its food options, which provides students with more options in addition to the other offerings around campus. Students are also now able to order from the market on the Starship app, increasing its convenience. That being said, the majority of things sold in the Hoot Market can only be purchased with points, and there is not always a large selection of meal swipe options available to students. Students are able to purchase either a drink or a snack with their meal swipe, rather than both, as in previous semesters. This further limits options despite the fact that there are many more choices for both snacks and drinks in the store this year. If students cannot purchase the food with a meal swipe, they have to use their points. The prices at the Hoot Market are already fairly high, and with the limited amount of points students have depending on their meal plan, not all students can actually take advantage of the expansion of Hoot Market products. This board urges Brandeis Hospitality to allow students to use a meal swipe for a full meal and expand the options purchasable with a meal swipe, rather than limit their dining options further. Meal swipes are limited on campus as a whole, and this board questions why some food is not deemed worthy of being considered a meal. We would encourage the University to add meal exchange options to both Dunkin’ and Einstein’s so that students have swipe-equivalent breakfast options outside of the Lower Usdan and Sherman dining halls. This is something that has been offered at Einstein’s over the summer months, so we imagine it would be feasible to continue throughout the year.

An option not provided by the University that would give students far more options concerning campus dining would be customizable meal plans. If students were able to adjust the number of their meal swipes and points to a proportion that better suits their eating habits on campus, the system would work much more smoothly for many. Currently, students typically have to choose between a large number of meal swipes or points; for the available meal plans, the more points one has, the fewer meal swipes, and vice versa. Many students do not use all their meal swipes, and many run out of points. Allowing students to adjust their meal plans to suit their preferences would eliminate that waste and make meal plans more worth their high prices.

Lastly, this board is particularly grieving the random loss of the iconic Einstein’s Bagels hash browns. As Shapiro Campus Center regulars at least three times a week, these warm morsels of potato gave many board members a particularly unique form of joy :( #BringBacktheBrowns

On nearly every weekday — usually in the late morning — the line for the Dunkin’ Donuts in Upper Usdan can be seen extending from its counter to midway through Upper’s booths as dozens of people wait to order coffee or food. Simultaneously, Starship orders placed online chime in one after another after another behind Dunkin’s counter, loud enough to hear from the front of the line. The Dunkin’ staff move incredibly quickly, but the sheer number of customized orders compared to the number of people working behind the counter is overwhelming.

It is incredibly exciting to see so many new faces around: according to BrandeisNow, there are over 1,000 students in the class of 2026, which is the largest in the University’s history. But from a lack of vacation hours given to dining workers over the holidays to an overworked Facilities team, the school does not appear to have altered the infrastructure necessary to support the needs of its staff, who literally keep campus up and running. This demand has also increased as a result of online orders, which come in without regard to the number of existing orders from the in-person orders. In addition, there appears to be a lack of support for the staff working each section as they are consistently understaffed, adding additional stress to churn out as much food out as possible to meet the high demand. Many of us have, do, or will work within the food service industry. For those of us who have done so, we might be familiar with the physical and emotional ups-anddowns played out within a breakfast, lunch or dinner rush: a particularly complex order, a meal sent back, a rude customer, how it feels to be on your feet for hours. And there’s the good parts that go with it: kind people and interactions, and the support of a close-knit staff. It can be frustrating to feel like you’re waiting a long time to receive an order that appears simple, but the editorial board would like to express that the onus of the long wait times at Dunkin’ — and at the other food providers on campus — should not fall on those working around the clock to make and serve community members. On-the-ground providers are as much a part of the community as the student body and administrative personnel; we all interact with each other on a daily basis. We would like to encourage students to be kind, understanding, and patient to the dining staff. We would also like to suggest to Harvest Table that to help with the periods of increased number of orders at places like Dunkin’ that don’t use paper ordering, the in-app ordering be turned off for that specific period of time so that the staff are not being overwhelmed by orders from both the in-person line and the online orders.

The editorial board would like to acknowledge the efforts of dining workers and staff at Dunkin’, the Hoot Market, Upper and Lower Usdan, Einstein’s, Starbucks, and Sherman Dining Hall to accommodate orders on a daily basis. Thank you so much for all you do to meet the needs of students.

Asking for a friend

If you are interested in submitting advice for the upcoming column, follow our Instagram: @thejusticenewspaper.

How can students support their peers during Black History Month? A: Q:

I’d like to answer as a white professor who teaches Black feminisms (among many other things!).

My words are primarily aimed at non-Black students who want to support and learn from their Black friends and colleagues without (hopefully!) burdening them.

First: Listen respectfully to your peers. And if your immediate friends, fellow students, or teachers are not teaching the things you want to know, there are so many people who are, and a wealth of information is available on the internet. Follow Black creators on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. Read books by Black authors. Watch films by Black directors!

Second: Don’t be defensive. Criticism is an act of love. If someone tells you that you’ve said or done something that hurt them — even if they use that dreaded word, racist — don’t lash out. Telling you that you can do better, and how to do better, is a genuine gift, even if it hurts in the moment. Think about why it hurts, take some deep breaths and self-examine.

Third: Don’t derail. Non-Black experiences do not equate to Black experiences. Racism is not all about social class, nor do patriarchy, homophobia, or transphobia operate outside the structure of racism and white supremacy. You can be a very helpful ally if you shut those comparisons down the moment they occur (also, playing oppression poker doesn’t benefit anyone in the long run)! Here is a great resource: http://www.derailingfordummies.com/

Fourth: Step up and speak out when you can. Sometimes it’s easier to speak up when you see something like racism happening, when it’s not aimed at you — so be the person to speak up and say, “Hey, I’m uncomfortable. That joke didn’t land. Can we not use that word? I respect the BLM movement actually, so no, I don’t agree.” Speaking out is different from speaking over — it’s being the point person in a fraught social situation (for example, a white student in a classroom led by a white professor may feel safer confronting someone about problematic racial language). Speak for yourself, not for your peers.

— Dr. Keridwen Luis | WGS, ANTH site.

By MELORA HUTCHESON JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

After excitedly waiting for the new collection, I was disappointed with the reveal of the Spring 2023 Couture collection by Daniel Roseberry, which he allegedly devoted his time to. Seeing videos and photos circulating of Dante’s Inferno-inspired pieces with crudely placed animal heads attached was already a lot to witness.

With a lion’s head randomly popping out of the side of model Irina Shayk’s torso, a snow leopard on Shalom Harlow’s chest area, and a wolf on Naomi Campbell’s shoulder, even their fierce catwalks couldn’t fill the emptiness that these fake taxidermy heads left to the imagination. What’s sad is that these aren’t the worst outfits among the collection.

For this article, I’ll be discussing looks that stood out to me from the Schiaparelli Spring 2023 Couture collection by Daniel Roseberry. Out of the thirty-two looks presented, I’ve decided on four pieces I think saved the collection.

I like them, but they’re not as bold as past choices Roseberry’s made. The eyeshaped earrings are impressive given that the jewelry is handmade, but the color of the eyes could’ve been gold, or at least another color, so they would’ve stood out more. And though the addition of a belt would have messed with the completely laced-up backing, I wish there was something on the cinched part of the coat. Maybe a keyhole to match the shoes and the theme of “entering” the gates of Hell.

Starting with look 3 of the collection: The moment I saw it, I was instantly hooked. An exaggerated look like this is a staple silhouette for the house. The quilted texturing of the coat makes it look somewhat like an optical illusion; you just want to keep moving with it. The collar is extra , but it works given the coat’s thickness and longer sleeves.

The cream-colored heels with a golden keyhole at the tiptoes of each are definitely a change of pace, considering that there were golden human toes on most of the shoes in the last few Schiaparelli collections.

Here, look 11, though with understated color, gets its point across effortlessly. The broad-shouldered, statuesque silhouette gloriously returns in tuxedo form. The strong-armed sleeves have the beautiful addition of a dark to burnt orange brown ombre. Besides the cinched waist making another flawless appearance, the v-shaped neckline reaches downward to new territory: the belly-button. It’s an instant attention-grabber.

Though I’m a fan of the choice of neckline, I do think that something overall is missing from the piece. Nothing except the chest area of the tuxedo stands out. Even the shoes have neutral coloring. And if you look close enough, the infamous human toes atop the heels can be seen, but they’re not colored in their usual stand-out gold. Since no earrings or other jewelry were included in the look, it becomes obvious that the designer thought that the neckline was enough. However, the addition of dangle earrings would’ve blown the audience away with a lustful addition to this piece.

Speechless. Everything about the creation of this mosaic-like corset is exqui -

Look 22, the top half at least, is a masterpiece. The carefully inlaid genuine emerald and gold top-piece is a clear step forward from the infamous ab-breastplate that debuted in Roseberry’s Spring 2021 Couture collection. The tendrils flying off the top are reminiscent of constellations, making the model’s face seem like a divine being peering through the stars to see the world. I could go on and on about how the gorgeous creation allows an onlooker to view the model materializing into goddess form as they descend from the heavens!

But I’d be ignoring my critique of the trousers. The model, at least in the picture, looks as if they are stepping on pant-legs as they walk. Though the trousers definitely go with the top half, it’s obvious that they’re meant to act as an underline of the important subject above. Another thing: the model is wearing earrings that match the emerald corset-like structure around her torso. The look is dazzling enough without the earrings. It seems like Roseberry became a bit too greedy.

Look 12. What is there to say? There’s no jewelry, which I feel could have added some energy to this exhausted outfit. When looking at it, I wonder what exactly is the model carrying in her arm — leftover fabric?

Whatever it is, it’s not the Schiaparelli I’m used to. The slit in the dress looks like something exploded out of it, and that is made more apparent by the contrast in materials used for the fitted aspects of the dress. The nude shoe with the outfit was also an odd choice. Something gold and black, whether it’s the shoes or earrings, would have done something more for the dress and the model. It looks like an unfinished product — the final outcome of ideas that ran out. It’s damnable.

Since Roseberry became the brand’s creative director in 2019, he has created several interesting collections. Taking inspiration from not only the brand’s founder, Elsa Schiaparelli, but also from the 80s, Roseberry had his ab-breastplates, shoes with golden human toes, extravagant and campy earrings, and piercing blue eyeglasses making appearances all over the red carpet and Instagram feeds for the past three years.

Overall, it was hard to choose just one outfit to encapsulate the disappointments of this recent collection. Many outfits look last-minute and thrown together. It lacked the vibrant and bold colors I’m used to seeing in Schiaparelli collections.

On a rating scale of 1-10, I would give this collection a 5.5. The majority of the collection was either basic, poorly fitted, or had gorgeous accessories that upstaged the outfit they were supposed to be complementing. As I looked at each outfit, they increasingly got worse as I became more disappointed.

If I were Roseberry, I’d be embarrassed that the only reason my show is going viral is because the most interesting outfit of the day was on Doja Cat, an audience member! Roseberry has the talent to make fabulous runway looks, but he let the story of Dante’s “Inferno” outshine his collection. I hope that Roseberry makes it out of the ninth ring of Hell. Before the bad luck he brought with this collection gets the better of him.