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Source: The Wesleyan Argus Date: October 7, 2003 Byline: Editorial As the long-awaited culmination of efforts by the Wesleyan Student Assembly, the University administration and Aramark, students were told over the summer they would be able to use their meal points at Giuseppe’s. It is October, however, and the small mom-and-pop restaurant chosen as the pilot restaurant for the use of off-campus points still displays a sign indicating its inability to accept points. But it is neither technological nor marketing problems that have led to this failure; it is the unwillingness of its owner, Rose Aresco, to offend dining service workers who have been facing lay-offs and reduced hours due to the increased competition created by using points off-campus. Yet, there is a way to reconcile student desire to use points off-campus with not threatening the jobs of Aramark employees: let students buy points off campus after-hours. Aramark does not serve hot food after 8:00 p.m., although a weak attempt was made to do so last year. Thus hordes of hungry students awake several hours after the closing bell at the campus center rings are willing to spend points late at night; all they need is the vendor. If the University could coordinate with the Athenian Diner, which is open 24 hours, or Dave’s Diggity Dogs, a mobile hot dog and burger dive which has been known to stay open past 2 a.m., students could use their points to buy restaurant-quality food late at night while maintaining a diurnal monopoly for Aramark. There is always demand for Athenian, and although it is geographically separate from the rest of campus, students are constantly willing to go there for meals at odd hours. Likewise, Dave’s Diggity Dogs has sold many hot dogs to students walking along High Street late at night. If one of these were an option, students would still use points on campus for regular meals, and Weshop’s late-night business would not be threatened since it sells groceries, not warm meals. The current situation is unfair to the entire community, and each day that the debate continues, the workers suffer. While there may exist a more permanent solution in the form of increased quality and accessibility of campus food, in the meantime, the late-night off-campus option seems a very viable reconciliation of off-campus points and workers’ desires. Wesleyan University's student governing body. For questions regarding the website and its content, please email our webmaster. |