Dear Bentley Administration:

We demand change. For years, the students of this school have silently dealt with University dining services that are — to put it mildly — substandard. Bentley Dining has been ranked fourth-worst based on student surveys at 386 colleges across the country.[1] Students almost universally agree that food from the 921 is nearly inedible and simply not worth the cost of the meal plans that we are forced to pay for each year. Worst of all, the issues have only been exacerbated by the pre-packaged nature of the food since the dawn of the pandemic.

Last year, the student body attempted to resolve the issue amicably by raising awareness on social media, signing petitions, and lobbying the administration for a range of improvements. To the University’s credit, some changes were made as a result. The General Manager was terminated and replaced. Dining Ambassadors were hired to address student complaints. But this is not enough. Bentley Dining has done little more than apply lipstick to a pig and try to convince us that it is beautiful. No matter how many window dressings Bentley puts on the 921, the root of the problem still remains: the contract with Sodexo food services remains in full effect.

Sodexo is the foundation from which all of these problems arise. Of the four schools ranked worst for food services — including Bentley — three are served by Sodexo.[2] They have received “F” ratings for the quality of their food from a certified nutritionist. Dr. Becky Maes confirmed that “Sodexo is not healthy. They are a mass-produced food service company [and their food is] heavily processed and high in carbohydrates, fat, and chemicals.”[3] A federal court in California ruled last year that Sodexo is liable for punitive damages after they consciously disregarded the risk of danger from their food, which directly caused an E. Coli outbreak in the Marine Corps. Former USDA Undersecretary Richard A. Raymond even testified that “I have never seen behavior on this level … Sodexo did not have any control over this operation whatsoever.”[4]

Bentley is sitting on a ticking time bomb. Sodexo cannot be trusted with the health and nutrition of their students for one day longer. We demand that Bentley immediately terminate its contract with this negligent, dangerous company that happily takes our money while serving us some of the worst university food in the country. We wish to resolve this issue amicably with a mutual agreement, but we will settle for no less than termination. If the University fails to agree to this, we will initiate a boycott of all Sodexo food services on campus starting on March 7, continuing indefinitely until our demands are met. Change is coming — the only question is whether you will do the right thing or force a confrontation between the administration and the student body.

https://boycottbentley.medium.com/an-open-letter-to-the-administration-of-bentley-university-6372d64e14ec#_ftn4