“Glar eggs soak up all the alcohol consumed the night before, making me sober when I leave.”

Amber Slater

“Looking around, everyone looks the same. Even I wear the same clothes that I had on the night before.”

Meghan Shatz

“People are angry when you’re loud.”

Hillary Deweese

“I’m miserable and hung over at like 8 am, Glar doesn’t open until 10:30 on the weekends, it’s a problem.”

Liam O’ neill

“Some people walk in still drunk, sit down and slowly eat their eggs and potatoes.”

Cari Sledzic

“I always double fist my water.”

Forest Fleisher

“Prospective students should never be allowed in Glar on a Sunday.”

Christine Jubinski

“It’s the quietest time of the week.”

Brad Heavner

“I think the renovations made to Glar last semester initiated things,” said Harriet Corbran of the Bursar’s Office. “The idea [behind the new Meal Exchanges] was to give students more choices, and I think that we’ve done that. I’ve also heard some students say that the quality of the food has improved.”

For freshmen, however, there is one restriction: they can’t go any lower than a 210 Meal Plan. “We felt that a 210 Meal Plan—offering an average of 14 meals per week— would keep freshmen healthy and nourished,” said Corbran, “It’s also a more equitable choice.Re-charging students for another plan offering fewer meals would be more expensive for them than just the initial 210.”

With new Meal Exchanges, it will be easier for students to get their money’s worth of food from their Meal Plans for the semester without forfeiting any unused funds. The pub will also soon begin accepting credit cards due to high demand from students. Meal Exchanges will also be made available in the new café in the library upon its completion.

“Mom,” I stated, “this is my last hamburger.”

She nodded, amused, because I make blanket statements like that pretty much weekly. In high school I’d rush in the door, heave my backpack onto the kitchen table and proclaim my new calling in life. Once I got to college, it became phone calls at weird hours that began with something like, “No, I promise I’m not drinking, I just needed to tell you that I’m teaching English in Thailand after I graduate. Sorry for waking you up.”

Vegetarianism, though, turned out not to be a fleeting fascination or topic of research for me. I had talked the talk, and I’ve spent the last year happily walking the walk and avoiding meat.

My foray into the land of meatlessness was not difficult, but it did happen to coincide with the first time in my life that I didn’t have access to my own kitchen. I spent first semester picking through the salad bar, oftentimes a little put off by the wilted lettuce or lack of standard vegetarian fare, like tofu or beans.

Luckily for you guys, though, Glar was remodeled in the spring, and while I’ll maintain that dessert is really the only thing that our cafeteria does well, there are now more options for people with restricted diets.

While the salad bar and Glar in general offered more options once the remodeling finished, I did end up making a lot of food in my room, so I’d like to pass on some wisdom from a former dorm room diner.

Take time to figure out how often and what you’ll be eating in your room; then, go buy the utensils and tools you’ll need.

Tupperware was crucial to me because I ate on the go pretty often. A friend of mine had a blender and a bunch of us would chip in yogurt or fruit for a weekly smoothie night. Keurig coffee machines are also a great investment because they are low-maintenance and great for brewing that one cup of coffee you might need before running out the door for class. Also, a few weeks of eating in Glar and evaluating your schedule should make it clear how many forks or bowls you might need.

Be prepared to wash dishes.

By the end of first semester, I had a tub that housed dirty dishes so that I could carry all of my cups and bowls to the bathroom without being scared that I would drop and break everything. Keep dish washing soap and sponges on hand as well! If you don’t stay on top of this, some pretty funky smells will become apparent, which leads me to my next point:

Be courteous to your roommate.

Walking into your room and finding out that your roomie has exploded something in your microwave is never pleasant. Clean up after yourself, cover your foods, and don’t let things go bad in the refrigerator. If you plan to do a solid amount of cooking in the room, you may want to talk to your roommate at the beginning of the year and establish rules about cleaning and sharing food or communal items like coffee makers.

Be careful what you keep in your room.

If there is a bag of M&Ms sitting by your desk, you just might empty that sucker in the time that it takes to type a paper without even noticing. Buy snack foods in limited quantities or not at all. Some of my staples included hummus, grapes, oatmeal, applesauce and V8.

Though three locations typically come to mind when students think of places to eat on campus, Glar, the pub, and the Green Terrace, keep in mind that there is one more! Eating in your room can save money and time, and whether your diet or your schedule lead you to skip the typical dining options, remember that your dorm room isn’t just your bedroom. It can be your kitchen, too!

A cozy place to study in Hoover library.

1. Anywhere in the Library!

It’s the weekend and your roommate has had his friends over all day playing XBOX. You have a big exam for your Introduction to Sociology course on Monday and you haven’t had any peace and quiet to study. You pack your laptop and books in your book bag and walk to the library. Inside you find the silence of many students studying and researching. Every floor and room is like this, so now you just have to choose which spot you want to study in. Get used to the quiet- your roommate won’t be coming by any time soon.

2. Budapest Café

You had a long night reading and realize you are about to have a long morning too when you see that you still have a few chapters left before class. Instead of fighting the urge to sleep in your bed, you leave your dorm and head to the Budapest Café, where you sit on a sofa chair under a lamp’s light that is just dim enough for you to avoid a headache and just bright enough for you to see what’s on the page. You order a coffee and you’re all set.

3. The Quad

You sit in your room with the window open, writing an essay for your First Year Seminar. You feel like you can’t breathe and need some air. Outside it’s sunny and just warm enough for shorts and a T-Shirt. You pack up your laptop, grab a blanket, and head towards the Quad. There, you lay out your blanket and sit down with your laptop. You look around and see other students taking advantage of the good weather and studying. Out here you can breathe. Out here you can study!

4. Library Commons

You talk to your friends after class, telling them how long a night you have ahead of you. You have three midterms to study for, an essay to write, and (to make matters worse) your roommate is going to bed early. We’ve all been there and we all know where you need to go to crank out all that work: the library commons. You walk in with a full book-bag and look around you. Many students, not just you, are pulling all-nighters. The commons is open all night and has vending machines and a bathroom, so you settle in. It isn’t the most comfortable place, but when you are in a bind, you’ll be thankful you had it.

5. GLAR

You have your math test in thirty minutes and you forgot to finish your problems last night. It is lunchtime and you haven’t eaten breakfast. Your stomach rumbles. You can’t avoid it, so you go to GLAR and sit down with your friends wolfing down chicken tenders. Instead of rushing yourself, why don’t you pull out that math book and a piece of paper and get to work on those problems while you eat. As a college student, you will always be crunched for time. It doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of meals though. Happy Chicken Tender Thursdays! And Happy Studying!

Rachel Cash, sophomore

“I like it a lot. I think it’s a lot brighter and a lot more inviting, and [they] spent a lot of money here. I like being in an actual location on campus that has lots of people in it. And the food is… it’s better. The French fries are different. And I think they have more vegetarian options. I’m not a vegetarian, but I enjoy vegetarian food, and it’s offered.”

Brighid Molony, freshman

“I think it’s really great. I can’t believe how nice this place is. I was not expecting it to be this nice. Even after a week, I just am amazed every time I walk into this room.”

Jennifer Bland, freshman

“When I first came in I thought it was awesome, and I still think it’s awesome. My only concern is if the food is gonna stay good after the first week. But besides that, it’s awesome.”

Adriana Mendoza and Le Huong Hoang, freshman

Mendoza: “It makes me feel better than before. Before, I was like, ‘This food sucks; this place sucks; my life sucks.’ And now: food sucks; the place good, kind of; I feel a little better on [my] life.”

Hoang: “I think it’s beautiful and comfortable, but the food is still the same as before.”

Doug McKenney, sophomore

“I agree with everything [Rachel] said. I think people are still excited, and they’re gonna keep being excited, at least until this school year is over. This gives everybody a chance to come back next year and be like, ‘Wow, we still have an awesome Glar.’ I really like it. I think it’s a little too flashy, but I still really enjoy it.”

Shelby Parentaeu:  “I think the changes are baller.”

Kim Moran: “ I think it looks awesome. It looks much classier& bigger.”

Courtney Hitchcock: “ I think the changes give the dining hall a personal atmosphere.”

Ariel Cangemi: “I think the changes are awesome. Everything looks    great and I actually want to come here to eat. It will also be good for attracting students to McDaniel.”

Paula Senff – “ I like how open the              roof is!”

Gerl will be taking over the responsibilities currently held by Mary Jo Colbert and Ethan Seidel. When asked about the change, Mary Jo Colbert remarked “I would say I have mixed feelings. There have been a lot of challenges in food services and I am very excited to see the new dining hall renovation in progress.” Colbert is also glad to have more time to focus on her main priority, the Conference and Auxiliary Services Office.

An enthusiastic Gerl wants to work directly with students to make things better. She plans to create committees of students to work directly with her and Sodexo in order to find out “where there are concerns and how to provide better services” to the students who depend on Glar for two or three meals a day.

Gerl plans to rely on the atmosphere in order for students to have a “true, positive dining experience,” so although students may feel like they are sitting in Panera, there won’t be any change to the food being served.

“Everything will be presented differently and kept hotter and fresh,” Gerl said, adding that she hopes students can appreciate the positive changes that are in their future rather than focusing on the negatives of the situation.

Freshman Kailey Beck remarked that the atmosphere might help, “but only slightly, then the effect will wear off…people know that the food isn’t changing.” Junior Courtney Zimmerman had an opposing opinion, “we definitely needed a change in how things were before, so I’m excited to see what it will look like when all is said and done.”

Gerl is certainly excited about her new responsibility. She noted that students who have complaints just need to keep in mind that she wants to hear what’s up, so be loud with constructive criticism and help make the new Glar better for everyone.

Staff Reporter

The Forum/ Dining Porch, the Green Terrace, the Pub. In case you hadn’t heard, Englar Dining Hall (Glar) is being renovated and those are now the venues for eating on the meal plan.

Students were given 35 additional meal exchanges to compensate for the temporary loss of Glar. Now they can eat more at the Pub or the Green Terrace, with the Pub now offering a hot meal a day and a grab-and-go menu as well.

A question many people have is why the school decided to renovate starting in December, as opposed to doing the work over the summer. Ethan Seidel, Vice President for Administration and Finance, had an answer.

“McDaniel is really busy during the summer, with conferences being held and different summer camps. All those kids and adults need to eat somewhere. Winter break is actually the longest down time, as there is little demand for Glar during Jan Term, so it was a nice chunk of time to start the abatement and construction.”

The reaction to construction being timed for the convenience of those who are here during the summer as opposed to that of the students is different depending on who you talk to.

“I don’t really mind eating in the Forum or having more options during the day,” says junior Nathan Warden. “The way the Forum is set up, it gives a better illusion of privacy even though the tables are closer together. In Glar everyone just stares at everyone. Also I believe it’ll be worth it because the new Glar will be awesome.”

Junior Ryan Murrell is not really a fan of eating in the Forum and says the 35 extra meal exchanges don’t compensate for the lack of a regular dining hall because “the food the pub offers during lunch is just awful.”

Sophomore Anna Fine says, “I don’t like eating in the Forum at all. My friends and I rarely go. I’m glad we got the extra meal exchanges so we can eat in other places.”

Quite a few people were curious as to why McDaniel decided to renovate Glar. It turns out that it has been about 15 years since McDaniel renovated its dining hall. This was not a random decision. Since 2002 McDaniel has had a master plan, which included the renovation of the dining hall. Students should be happy to know construction has been going exactly according to plan, so when we all return from spring break, a new and improved Glar should be awaiting us.

by David Ross

Contributor

If you have ever eaten at Englar Dining Hall, your day was most likely brightened by this woman’s genuine excitement and enthusiasm to serve the students of McDaniel. Whether she has assembled your sandwich or given you a healthy portion of chicken tenders, you walked back to your table with at least a smile on your face.

Her nametag reads “Sandy V,” and this long-time Sodexo employee is by no means burdened by her position. Students are often greeted by a “whatcha need baby?” as she quickly prepares the orders. When senior Matt Haushalter was asked to describe Sandy in one sentence, he replied “She is always happy to see us.” It is clear to everyone that she genuinely enjoys coming to work. As Dr. Jeff Marx, chair of the Physics department puts it, “her demeanor brightens up the dining hall.” That is what makes her stand out.

Sandy Von Bussenius arrives at the dining hall on weekdays just before 6:00 a.m. Her duties begin with preparing her omelette station by slicing lunch meat and putting the “fixings” into their designated spots.

When the students arrive, she really gets busy. When asked what her favorite part of working in Glar is, she said, “aside from being around the kids, it would have to be breakfast. I could make a thousand omelettes and not get tired of it.” But, as she admits, the best part really is “watching you guys grow up. It’s so funny to see how you change from when you come in as freshmen and then come out of your shells by the time you’re all seniors.” As the omelette line fills up, Sandy can juggle four to five orders at a time

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, an additional chore is added to her list. Sandy makes the ever-popular ciabatta bread from scratch in between omelette making and lunch time, where her hard work pays off.

Throughout the day, Sandy makes sure her servers are keeping up. She feels that as students, we “pay too much to not get great service.” As a supervisor, she is definitely not hesitant to get on people to make sure that everything gets done. “Even when I’m not working I still tell people what to do.” This is a vital part of a successful operation: someone who truly cares about the work that they are doing.

It does not come as a surprise to learn that Sandy is a mother to four children, including a set of twins. It may be a slight shock, however, that she has four grandchildren, two boys and two girls. “I have the grandkids three or four days a week. They’re the best; I love ‘em!” This has a lot to do with why she came to McDaniel in the first place; the fast-paced real estate business was not one which cooperated with motherhood. Sandy, who was a licensed realtor in Maryland as well as Pennsylvania, left her work as a realtor eleven years ago to have more time to spend with her family.

Sandy currently resides in Frederick with her husband, Bill, not far from where she grew up in Pikesville. A graduate of Pikesville High School, she was an athlete and played field hockey.

Outside of work, the Englar supervisor says she is “just as busy as when you see me behind the counter.” When her shift ends at 2:30 p.m., she can be found biking, swimming or playing volleyball. It is no shock, therefore, that she is also a beach lover in the summer months. She might also be found at the occasional casino in Charles Town, West Virginia, where she enjoys slots and roulette.

When Sandy was asked what else people might like to know about her, she responded, “I’m simple.” She is not one to brag or tell stories, just a person that enjoys life–and all those omelettes.

Staff Reporter

Almost every incoming freshman wonders how to avoid the infamous “freshman fifteen.” With the help of Glar, I have found a solution: veganism. The stunning lack of options in the dining hall reduces the dinner choices to mass-produced steamed vegetables, strange looking “fresh” fruits, or the same hummus and pita they put out at orientation. The onset of starvation is inevitable.

When selecting a college, I considered size to be of utmost importance – too big and the odds of encouraging change while working with campus staff is unlikely; too small and the idea of change for a certain demographic may be ludicrous. I may be the only vegan at a terribly small school, while a larger undergraduate institution may have a large vegan population. I chose to go with small and take my chances; I was sorely disappointed. In her article regarding healthy eating in colleges, freelance author Manya Chylinski states that “[m]ost schools have a variety of food options in the dining halls, including vegetarian, vegan, foods for students with allergies and special dietary needs.” Most schools…where does McDaniel fall in that category? One could argue that they provide options – you are allowed to choose between the wilted lettuce possibly treated with MSG and the hummus you saw stirred up to fix the natural separation of oils that has taken place each night for the three-plus weeks that it has been served. The outlook on successfully nourishing yourself as a vegan forced to eat in Glar is bleak.

However grim the prospects of change may appear, it is possible. One graduate student at UC-Berkeley found the options quite limited…and did something about it. The remarkable part was that he was successful. This was perhaps due to the fact that, according to Vegetarian Times, “[a] poll of dorm residents [at UC-Berkeley] found 15% are vegetarians and 5% are vegans” (Parr, “Vegan Victory on Campus”). Regardless of the size-per-demographic, changes should be made when there is an issue. Students with Celiac disease are not forced to eat gluten, or made to eat sub-par meals – why should vegans be forced to suffer the true brunt of the “Glarbage?”

McDaniel College does not have to “go vegan.” Instead, a wider variety of quality vegan items ought to be offered in the institution’s cafeteria – freshmen are EXPECTED to eat at Glar; it should be second nature for the kitchen to prepare nutritious items that all students can consume, regardless of their consumptive orientation.

Works Cited

Chylinski, Manya. “Campus Wellness & Fitness.” Careers & Colleges 28.3 (2009): 12-14.

Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 23 Sept. 2010.

Parr, Jan. “Vegan victory on campus.” Vegetarian Times April n212 1995: 19. Academic

OneFile. Web. 23 Sept. 2010.

From the floor to the ceiling, Englar Dining Hall will be receiving a complete facelift over this period of time. Students have been anxiously awaiting these renovations and are excited to see the outcome after viewing the diagram, which was displayed in Glar on September 30th during the “Pick Your Seat” voting.

Junior Emily Davis is eager to see the transformation.

“I am really excited about the changes. I think this will definitely be a positive change for the campus. It’s a much needed mature change for the school and the entire student body,” said Davis, who also added that she is excited for Glar to lose its “high school” feel.

Dr. Ethan Seidel, Vice President for Administration and Finance, has played a role in the changes and has confirmed that the diagram seen in Glar during the chair voting is a good indication of how the dining hall will look in the Spring.

“There are still a few weeks left in the design process. Once we get a contractor, we can get a cost estimate and decide what designs will fit within the budget,” said Seidel.

What have been finalized are the structural changes that will occur. The entrance of the dining hall will be moved towards the kitchen, which will allow the walkway to be separated from the seating area.

Both large walls, currently utilized mostly for beverages, will be removed, which Seidel said would create “more floor space all the way around.” Beverages will instead be in a curved center station in front of where dishes are returned.

Upon entering Glar and looking straight forward to the back, there is currently a staged area, which will be removed during the process. By removing the wall below the stage that blocks it off from the rest of the dining hall, it will open up the area. Tearing out the storage closets in the back staged area will fashion more space as well. Doors will be opened in this area to expose an area with a couple of tables and glass windows.

“The glass windows will allow more natural light in,” said Seidel.

The staging on the right, however, will stay. An important change occurring behind this (the staging closest to the porch) is that glass windows will be inserted between the staging itself and the porch. Along with this, there will be doors to enter the porch area that will be able to lock during non-dining hours.

“The dining porch can then be used as a student meeting place,” commented Seidel.

The porch itself will see less significant changes. The opening up of office and storage areas will allow for a small expansion and possibly a bit more seating.

Other planned modifications are aesthetic, including a new floor, new seating, and many more interior design aspects. The ceiling and lighting will change as well, adding color to warm up the dining environment.

Although rumors have flown about changes with the food and with Sodexo, it has been confirmed by Seidel that there is no real truth to the gossip. Students have had mixed reviews upon hearing this news.

“I think it’s kind of bogus just to focus on aesthetic changes when the nutritional value and quality of the food served should be the main priority. I would be happier about the changes being made if the food was also being changed,” said junior Joanna Boccio.

Senior Anthony Gordon anticipates the modifications, despite the fact that the food is staying as is.

“I think the renovation project pretty exciting,” said Gordon, “The fact that the college is making a conscious effort to appease the students is refreshing. If nothing can be done about the food, livening up the furniture is the next best thing. I’m glad I’ll get to enjoy it for my last semester.”

Jan Term students will be among the first to see some of the renovations for themselves as they pass Glar on their way to their temporary cafeteria, the Forum. Students returning for Spring semester could also be temporarily moved to a different eating facility as well.

The Forum has been reserved for this purpose for the first few weeks of the semester as well, because it is likely that renovations will not be complete until mid February.

“I’m pretty sure the project won’t be finished by the end of Jan Term,” said Seidel, who also noted that portions of the dining hall may be ready for use by this time while other sections are still being worked on.

Junior Kelly Clancy is looking forward to returning to a nearly unrecognizable eating facility in the Spring, even if it is not until a few weeks into the semester.

“I think remodeling the cafeteria is a great idea. I think it will create a warmer atmosphere which is important since this campus is our home for 9 months out of the year,” said Clancy.

McDaniel staff members are anxiously awaiting their new lunch spot as well.

“The dining hall is part of student life and students spend a lot of time there, and we have seen a lot more faculty and staff eating there as well,” said Seidel, who hopes that staff members will also enjoy the new environment, “We’re really looking forward to updating and upgrading the dining services.”

Co-Editor in Chief

For Bon Appetit food services, social responsibility is the number one priority. Their motto is “food services for a sustainable future.”

According to Normal Zwagil, general manager of Bon Appetit at Goucher College, sustainability refers to food that is “a lower carbon footprint, uses less energy, healthier with respect to environment, individual, and industry.”

Founded by Fedele Bauccio and Ernie Collins in 1987, the company was the first to address the issues related to where our food comes from and how it is grown. Through a program they call “Farm to Fork,” only locally purchased produce raised or grown within 150 miles of the school is used in their dining halls.

They also hold several farmers markets per semester in order to allow the students and surrounding community to know who grows the food they are consuming, including a student who grows her own fruit and jam, Firefly Farm which provides goat cheese, Rosetta Beef that is all natural, Stone Mill Bakery, and Dangerously Delicious Pies.

Zwagil says that Bon Appétit avoids using companies like Purdue Chicken, who doesn’t “raise their chickens humanely. They are mass-produced and raised on a farm where they are not allowed to be chickens. They usually take ill and have to be given antibiotics.

One of the ultimate food conflicts is between big industrial agriculture and if there will ever be a return to small farms. Zwagil says that beef is intrinsically high carbon, and there is an argument that grass-fed beef is more sustainable. Large-scale farms are unable to grass-feed their cows.

Bon Appétit is rBGH free since 2002. Recombinant bovine growth hormone is a genetically engineered hormone injected into dairy caws to artificially increase their milk production.

The company also refuses to use farmed salmon, another growing conflict with large-scale agriculture. Farmed salmon produce waste, and contain PCBs and dioxins that may impair the immune system.

“Salmon swim in their own feces, and farmers bring it to market and color it,” says Zwagil. Bon Appetit only uses seafood purchased in accordance with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch guidelines.

Bon Appetit is a chef driven company. They make their food from scratch, and bring in fruit and vegetables that they cut and cook themselves. However, Zwagil says they are not the answer for everyone, especially for large schools, which is why they stick to private colleges and universities like McDaniel.

This type of food service is more expensive than something like Sodexho, however; Zwagil says that their company creates budgets to look at each situation and university uniquely.

An online website, greenreportcard.org, grades colleges on their sustainability. Goucher was given a B+; McDaniel is not on the website. Of the top 25 most sustainable colleges in the nation, about 10 use Bon Appétit for their food services.

The company also puts much effort into garnering response from the students. They created a website called Circle of Responsibility to aid students in learning to grow their own food. They also meet with both the SGA and Student Action Committee to collaborate on a student survey. They then base their business plan around those answers.

Since 2001, Bon Appétit has been beta testing environmentally friendly disposable plates, cups, bowls, and flatware from renewable sources like corn, sugarcane, and potato starch.

“We tell you what’s in your food and where it comes from,” said Zwagil. “Sodexho just has a different business model, they do prison work, they are more institutional. At some schools they have food courts like you see in the mall. Right now a chef from Thailand is cooking in our kitchen.”

The Students Speak Out:

“Personally, I spent the first two years of my college career with stomach problems due to the food offered on this campus. It is either greasy and fried or “healthy” and kind of gross. Glar is a place to socialize, I used to go and just get a drink, then eat in my room. When I got an apartment I was so excited to not have a food plan, so I could first save hundreds of dollars that weren’t worth spending in the first place, and second be able to properly digest.”

· Jen Thompson, ‘10

It seems that with the exception of Sodexho, the world around us is consistently moving towards more organic and healthier food options so it’s strange that Sodexho is not keeping up. It’s a pretty obvious concept to keep up with as well. The amount of grease on and in the food offered in Glar is nothing short of offensive and the salad bar, possibly the only consistent “healthy” food option, can only be described as bland and distastefully unappealing.

· Christopher Rondo, ‘10

As a vegetarian, I have a very hard time finding good food to eat. Only having the option of eating a salad, a sandwich, and a wrap gets old very quickly. It would be so easy for Glar to offer more vegetarian options (such as soups, lasagna, etc), and everyone would be able to eat them. People are going to eat dishes that don’t have meat in them. There’s a belief that vegetarians only eat strange and obscure foods, but this is not true. Almost everything that people eat with meat in it can be made without meat just as easily. I have also experienced many stomach problems due to Glar. When you have a full day of classes the last thing you want to deal with is an unstable stomach. My freshman year I brought Pepto Bismol to Glar with me because I knew I was going to need it.

· Sydney Thro, ‘11

From the Environmental Action Committee:

Sodexho provides a basic service that makes food cheap and easy to prepare. Economically, this looks good–not only does the college save money on the food itself, but it can hire less skilled workers at lower wages. This allows GLAR to be more about quantity rather than quality, stability rather than healthy variety. Unfortunately, all large-scale food providers are going to approach this in the same way. The biggest change if we eliminate Sodexho and move to another big company would probably just be the uniforms.

There are consulting companies out there that help college dining services address these issues. These companies can help colleges link up with local produce (Baughers) and meat providers, rather than using processed staples like chicken patties that ship in from around the country and produce that ships from around the world. A lot of this starts with education, not only of the kitchen staff, but also of students, administration, or whoever is trying to ignite the change. We need to understand the seasonality of different foods, and learn to pattern our eating habits accordingly (unfortunately this means no tomatoes year round, but really good fresh produce while it’s in season). Expecting better food means that we’ll also probably have to learn how to work with less variety on a daily basis. It’s quick and easy to prepare frozen and greasy food like GLAR offers; but as the saying goes, good things take time. Rather than sacrifice quality to quantity (as we do now), we’ll have to learn to sacrifice quantity to quality.

· Ellen Larson, ‘10

Staff Reporter

Kaiser roll. Turkey. Provolone. Lettuce. Tomato. Mayo. Glar’s very own Mark “The Sandwich Guy” Brown memorized this sandwich combination for senior Terre Martin two years ago. “On the first day back to campus, I went into Glar for lunch to get my usual sandwich,” Martin explains. “When it was my turn, I started telling Mark what I wanted, but to my surprise he remembered my sandwich after the entire summer.”

Martin isn’t the only student Mark can match up to a specific sandwich. There are at least twenty other students on campus that he has also committed to memory.

“I just want the students to feel welcomed,” Mark says. “They have a variety to choose from, and I just want them to want a sandwich made by me.”

That’s why Mark creates all of his sandwiches with such care and precision. “I like to make sure all the vegetables are fresh and ripe,” he says. “No one deserves rotten food.”

When Mark takes off his latex gloves at night and goes home, he’s no longer “The Sandwich Guy;” he becomes “The Family Guy.” As a father of four children, three sons and a daughter ranging from the ages of 3-10, Mark tries to balance his time between his work and kids. Since he doesn’t arrive home until after dinner, he spends the majority of his time with them during the morning, standing at the bus stop corner and sending them off to school for the day.

“I also use my vacation days on holidays and their birthdays,” Mark states. “They only get one day a year dedicated to just them, and I want to be there to spend it with them.”

Mark also uses vacation time and the summers to take the bus to New York City, his second home. While he’s there, he visits with the rest of his family and friends, but what he loves most of all during his visits is…shopping. His other hobbies consist of shooting pool, basketball, fishing, hunting, swimming, working out, and playing horseshoes.

So next time you’re in Glar, and you don’t know what to eat, stop by the sandwich line and ask for Mark. He’ll be sure to take care of all your sandwich needs. Maybe even ask him how is his day is. After all, his favorite part of the job is meeting new students.