Letters to the Editor | Aramark is best, greenest available option for college dining

When we think of the environmental movement, we do not usually think of large corporations. This is why it may seem surprising that I, as the Local Foods intern for the College Committee on Sustainability, endorsed the renewal of the Aramark dining contract. The College underwent a search which ended with presentations by three companies: Sodexho, Parkhurst and Aramark.

Many have suggested that Vassar should not outsource its food production. I agree with this position; however, this was not an option that the College was willing to pursue at this time. Therefore, it is important to understand that the only options available to choose from were these three corporate food providers. Campus Dining staff are all employed through the College, and their jobs were never in jeopardy. On the other hand, our managers are all employed through Aramark and would have lost their jobs if we had chosen a different dining provider.

I have had the pleasure of working with Head of Campus Dining Maureen King (an Aramark employee) as well as with the Director of Marketing and Sustainability Ken Oldehoff (a Vassar employee). It is my firm belief that without their support and dedication, we would not be where we are today with respect to local foods and general sustainability. Our local foods program began entirely because of Oldehoff’s and King’s initiative.

Also, our managers have strong relationships with local farmers and the Vassar community. Thanks to their hard work, we currently serve 30 percent local food in our dining facilities. King’s receptiveness and willingness to assist students in their sustainability efforts have made it possible for us to develop a composting program in the All Campus Dining Center as well. Losing integrated members of our community who work hard to make Vassar more environmentally friendly is not sustainable.

In my opinion, Aramark’s proposed changes to Campus Dining will help Vassar along the path to sustainability more than Sodexho’s and Parkhurst’s proposals would have. Aramark’s presentation showed that they know our college and understand what sorts of improvements are needed. For example, they proposed that we start a carbon labeling system in our dining facilities, and set goals for increasing the percentage of local foods we purchase. Having seen prospective menus, I also believe that Aramark will deliver us a higher quality of fresh, local food than Sodexho or Parkhurst.

It would be inaccurate to view this article as an endorsement of Aramark as a corporation. Rather, I believe that out of the three options we had, Aramark was the best. Aramark employees at Vassar have shown themselves to be dedicated to the idea of sustainability and local foods. The loss of King would have been a detriment to green efforts.

I strongly encourage anyone who has concerns about Aramark’s presence at Vassar to speak with King and Oldehoff about the changes to our dining halls. I think that you will find that Vassar dining is moving forward with respect to both sustainability and food quality.

—Jessica Muller-Pearson ’08,
Local Foods Intern