Despite being the focus of a New York Times cover story and the center of minority protests demanding equal representation, the University of Michigan student body has remained most concerned with the cafeterias’ no tray policy. This environmentally friendly move has reportedly garnered even more student action than the Being Black at the University of Michigan or #BBUM, campaign on Twitter.
Both mass protests and activism via social media in support of trays returning have taken campus by storm. A Twitter hashtag was created, #BBOT, for Bring Back Our Trays. Students organized a walk out of the East Quad dining hall during Friday’s dinner, and others are currently taking part in a week- long hunger strike that began on Tuesday. While the administration acknowledged the #BBUM campaign and has negotiated reforms with student leaders, they remain staunchly committed to keeping trays out of students’ lives.