Food for thought

from FOOD, page 1

Marketing manager for JMU Dining, Jenna Maroney, said JMU received pushback from students and changed meal plans back to how they’ve been in the past.

She said that during the fall semester, JMU Dining added more options to dining halls across campus, increasing the choices for allergen-friendly, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan food after complaints from students.

For example, Corner Bistro in Memorial Hall reopened with made-to-order food options; The Den’s Beyond burger now accepts punches as a payment option; Lakeside Cafe added grab-and-go menu items; Market 64 features Mediterranean cuisine at the grill; Festival replaced Ever Grains with a salad bar; and E-Hall updated station offerings with new cuisines such as poke, Mediterranean and taco bowls.

While these changes have been made, some students feel as though there still aren’t enough plant-based dining options on campus. Food for Thought (FFT) social media chair and sophomore elementary education major Kaylin Waldron said she personally hasn’t noticed an increase in vegan and vegetarian dining options within the last semester.

“Oftentimes, I find that I have to pay extra or that it isn’t a punch to be able to accommodate my own dietary restrictions,” Waldron said.

Some students, like junior health sciences major Sarah Blais, have had a positive experience with vegetarian options on campus.

“It’s been super easy for me,” Blais said.

She also said E-Hall and D-Hall are “always reliable” and other locations in Festival and Market 64 have become more accommodating with Beyond meat and vegan chicken options.

Along with the new options, Maroney said she encourages students to visit the on-campus dietician, Gillian Kelly, and to visit the True Balance stations at D-Hall and E-Hall that accommodate dietary restrictions if they’re having trouble finding places to eat on campus.

But even with a large number of dining options, food insecurity is still a harsh reality for many students. Maroney said JMU’s Basic Needs Advisory Board found that in a 2019 study, 40% of JMU students experience moderate to severe food insecurity.

The study also found that food insecurity was the highest among graduate students, students receiving Pell grants, first-generation students and sexual minorities. Results from the study were published in an infographic that was sent out to the public.

JMU Dining has created the Dukes Punch for Dukes campaign where students and the university community can donate extra punches that directly benefit The Pantry. Maroney said 537 punches were donated in November 2022.

These punches are then turned into meal vouchers that are given to The Pantry. Each voucher can be used for entry at D-Hall or

E-Hall or for $13.50 in a retail space.

“We want students to really understand that struggle should not be part of their story,” Hawkins said. “We also want students to understand that you can not be hungry but you can still be food-insecure because nutrition is a big part of food insecurity. The fact that nutrition impacts students’ academic performance is a major part of what we’re trying to teach students.”

Available resources

The Pantry’s tagline is, “We are open to all JMU students, no questions asked,” which Hawkins said aligns with its goal to remove as many barriers to food accessibility as possible. He said sometimes even giving their name can be a barrier for students, so The Pantry aims to make all students feel welcomed by allowing those who use it to remain anonymous.

Right now, The Pantry offers meal vouchers, campus microwaves and a student support hub to help students meet their nutrition needs.

The Dukes Punch for Dukes campaign is available to all students who visit The Pantry. Students are invited to fill out a meal voucher request form in order to receive a voucher that has the value of a punch. But, since there are a limited number of vouchers, each student can only request up to five a month.

While the number of meal vouchers is limited, there are microwaves located at The Kitchen in the lower level of Festival, Taylor Down Under (TDU) and near Bistro 1908 in the

Student Success Center (SSC) for students to use. A program called Students Helping Every Last Fellow Duke (SHELF’D) is also available to students. This student-driven initiative, in partnership with the Canterbury Episcopal Campus Ministry, allows anyone to come learn about nutrition and to receive food, no questions asked.

The Pantry also has an app where students can order food online and select curbside pick up or rapid pickup options, and it also features a student support hub, which provides information about on- and off-campus resources for food, financial assistance, housing and other campus resources.

Hawkins said he enjoys helping students through The Pantry and that it’s been surprising to see the community that’s been built around the space. He said there are groups of students who have become really comfortable with The Pantry and, because of this, he wants to create more of a lounge space in the building where students can come and interact with others.

“We’re working on making The Pantry even more inviting because it’s nice to see students getting excited when they find out other students have the same struggles as them,” Hawkins said. “We’re happy we’re able to provide that type of space.”

Adrienne Griggs, co-chair of the Basic Needs Advisory Board, said places like The Pantry are important because students need to be well-fed and not concerned about food in order to do well in their classes.

“It’s hard to do well in classes if you’re worried about where your next meal is going to come from,” Griggs said. “Students are juggling jobs and schoolwork, so if they can come into The Pantry and get food, they can potentially do better in school and be able to focus better.”

The Climate Action Alliance of the Valley (CAAV), which hosts events related to food accessibility and waste, also provides education and does advocacy work surrounding climate change. The organization regularly has a booth at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market and last year hosted meetings covering topics such as food justice, growing edible gardens and how to lessen the use of single-use plastics.

CAAV chair Andrew Payton said the organization hosts these types of events because food accessibility directly ties into climate advocacy — one of the biggest ways to prevent further climate change is to reduce food waste, he said. “Climate change is going to disrupt the younger generations the most,” Payton said. “The way we currently produce and dispose of food is an incredibly big contributor to the climate crisis. This is something that college students need to be aware of. They should think about ways that they can contribute to a society that wants to address those problems.”

Students reflect on the state of food accessibility on campus

There are several student organizations at JMU that focus on food accessibility, food options and waste, such as the Environmental Management Club (EMC), FFT and JMU Composting Initiative.

FFT focuses on creating an inclusive environment for those who are vegan or vegetarian. The group has weekly meetings and hosts social events throughout the semester, like potlucks, where members can come together and share recipes.

Waldron said the goal of FFT is to have a place where everyone can be included and learn more about what it means to be vegan or vegetarian.

While JMU Dining Services has expanded its options this year, Waldron said it’s still difficult to find vegan or vegetarian options on campus. She said she’s noticed that at many dining locations, it costs more than a punch to substitute something due to a dietary restriction.

Waldron also said she’s seen the rules regarding plantbased meals change. For example, she said she’s gone to Java City in D-Hall and been told they aren’t allowed to make changes to the sandwiches or meals when asking for a certain item to be replaced for a Duke Deal.

“This affects a large community of people here at JMU who follow a plant-based diet because we have fewer options for meals on campus,” Waldron said.

Blais said she’s also noticed vegetarian options cost at least a dollar more than non-vegetarian options.

One way Waldron said she believes JMU could fix this issue is by removing additional costs for ingredient substitutions in order to accommodate dietary restrictions. She said more options for plant-based foods would also help. As of right now, she said, there are vegan options in D-Hall such as True Balance, but that JMU could offer more plant-based options all across campus.

Another change Blais said she’d like to see is places like The Den — in Dukes Dining — and Steak and Shake — in Market 64 — have more than one vegitarian option.

While FFT focuses on plant-based food, JMU’s Composting Initiative focuses on educating others on composting and