Dining Hall Offers Increased Accessibility with New Diverse Halal and Vegetarian Options

Nicole Fitzsimmons Senior Writer

Manhattan College’s dining services is committed to expanding accessibility with new Halal options and vegetarian options for students observing Lent. These options will help to meet diverse student needs on campus.

In the Feb. 21 senate meeting, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, Esmilda Abreu-Hornbostel, Ph.D., announced the dining committee’s plans.

“The Dining Committee has been tasked to look for Halal meals on campus as well as appropriate options for Lent,” Abreu-Hornbostel said. “Aramark confirmed that more options and appropriate meals will be provided for every Friday in March as well as Ash Wednesday.”

The attention to Halal meals is important to various students on campus, especially Muslim students practicing their faith during religious holidays in the semester. Fatima Hussain, sophomore chemical engineering major and treasurer of MC’s Muslim Student Association, states that obtaining Halal options on campus is often difficult.

“There’s not a lot of Halal options around campus,” Hussain said. “There’s only two places that have food around here, so it’s hard to get food sometimes.”

Yet, Hussain explains that pre-COVID, MC had various Halal options to choose from. Because of the current frequent difficulty in obtaining meals, she is thankful that accessibility is returning to the campus community.

“I appreciate the step that the college made,” Hussain said. “Having that option accessible, it makes us feel more wanted on campus.”

Sophomore Matthew Renda is currently observing Lent, meaning he is abstaining from meat on Fridays. He shares similar appreciation toward these expansions in food options at MC, especially because of the expectations surrounding MC’s Lasallian tradition.

“It makes sense being [we are] a Lasallian school, so I think by adding meals people can eat during Lent goes with it,” Renda said. “Sometimes it is hard to get breakfast, lunch and dinner that does not have meat.”

Renda explains the importance of these options in the dining hall, emphasizing the creation of an increasingly diverse and accepting campus community.

“It opens up the doors for people to practice their religion and it allows people to keep following what they believe in,” Renda said.

In continuing this stride toward accessibility, Hussain believes it is important for professors to respect the fasting and prayer schedules of students during Ramdan.

“We have Ramadan coming up, and [it is important] having professors understand that students have to break their fast at certain times,” Hussain said. “There’s also Friday prayers that are very important, especially for men. It’s mandatory for them to go. But, a lot of times there’s classes that conflict with timing.”

On the section titled “Our Menu Commitment” on MC’s Dining Services website, some commitments state “We recognize and accommodate special dietary needs in a personalized, sensitive manner,” ‘We’re proud to serve culturally diverse menus, featuring traditional favorites, ethnic dishes and international flavors” and “We provide a vegetarian-friendly environment, with a variety of vegetarian or vegan choices.” These new options are important in continuing to honor these commitments and fully serve the needs of the student body.

Editor’s note: Grace Cardinal, the Quadrangle’s Asst. News Editor, contributed to reporting for this article.