Spanning from October of 2021 to February of this year, the University of Toledo has been negligent in informing its students, faculty, and staff of the apparent lack of sanitary conditions in the kitchens and eating areas of the dining halls, particularly South Dining. 

Some examples of unsanitary and inappropriate kitchen conditions include:

• Infestation of cockroaches, rodents, and various other pests of all life stages
• Improper storage of food items, particularly raw meat
• Employees not washing their hands before handling food
• Food handling equipment and utensils not sanitized properly
• Cross-contamination of food items during preparation

These issues are on file with the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department and has been reported by numerous news agencies such as WTOL11. The links to both websites are followed:

WTOL11 News

Toledo-Lucas County Health Department Report

We, the students, faculty, and staff acknowledge the immense amount of upkeep that the dining halls require and appreciate the food service members in their effort to maintain a clean environment. However, we also realize that transparency and food safety advocacy plays a vital role in keeping the University of Toledo safe and healthy. The lack of appropriate communication and compensation for the students in the span of five months is unacceptable. Many students call the University of Toledo their second home and the university's inability to apologize and rectify the situation is a true testament to the lack of transparent communication of the party.

The confidence, dependability, and credibility we have in the University of Toledo is on a rapid decline due to the student needs not fulfilled. We demand a form of compensation for the potential mental and physical health problems that might have risen from this negligence and a formal apology to the entire University of Toledo population. This includes but are not limited to: students, the students' families, faculty, and staff members. 

It is in our sincerest hope that these issues do not happen again, for the sake of the university's future and the wellbeing of its members.