The Tinkham Veale University Center (TVUC) recently updated its food distribution policy, severely limiting student groups hoping to fundraise through means of tabling. The policy change, as TVUC management explained, was catalyzed by health concerns.
Many student organizations around campus, including cultural organizations and Greek Life, rely on tabling, selling food and baked goods to raise money in TVUC because of the number of students who travel through the building every day. With the new rule, students complain that fundraising for their organizations is much more difficult.
One of those complaints concerns the diminished variety of food that students will be exposed to. Cultural organizations often rely on food to connect in new ways with the student body, often tabling with cuisines that many students have never experienced.
Also affected by the new policy are external organizations that are connected to Case Western Reserve University through student groups—philanthropic ones, for example, that student organizations donate to, or local businesses and restaurants that can have their food catered on campus.
Greek Life, which relies on tabling for promotion, recruitment and philanthropy, will have to find new avenues of fundraising as well.
The primary cause for the policy change concerns student health.
A lack of publicity and information about the revisions may have contributed to the policy’s controversial status around campus, as students have little idea about why the policy was changed and so strictly enforced.
For now, students are encouraged to use the Thwing Center for food distribution and to bring up issues they have with TVUC management.