I am creating this petition to address the issues with the dining hall situation on campus this year at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Since my arrival, I have been beyond disappointed with our food, and I have started to dread going to the dining halls. Regarding the dining halls, there is a myriad of issues I would like to address, but the first, and main issue, is the selection of items on the menu every meal.

When I arrived on campus, I prepared myself for a limited selection of food at the dining halls. However, I was not expecting the current situation, and I am thoroughly disappointed. Often at each meal, there are only a couple of choices for protein, vegetables, and side items. Many of these food items are full of carbs, and I am concerned about retaining a well balanced meal while here on campus. The vegetable options are typically only green beans or cauliflower. Occasionally we might have carrots, broccoli, or bok choi, but often the vegetable selection is repetitive and limited. Many menu items were clearly not chosen with picky eaters in mind, because they are often poor attempts at seasoned, unique dishes. While I am not a picky eater, and therefore have given many of the food items a try, I am consistently disappointed in the quality of the food we are given. Additionally, the food intended to appease picky eaters, like rice or pasta, are often problematic. The rice is consistently crunchy, the pasta is lukewarm at best, and the garlic bread is often rock hard. I have also heard other complaints about dishes, such as burgers being overcooked, and it seems there is an issue with something each meal. This would not be as big of a problem if the selection was wide, but because of our limited selection, it is either eat the lackluster meals or don't eat at all. 

I have also had issues with certain menu items being present at all. We have been at school for only around a month. However, multiple times already I have gone to the dining halls only to discover they are out of a specific item on the menu. Again, this does not seem like a large issue, but with such a limited menu already, this only further limits the selection to students. It is disappointing that with such a limited menu already, often items that might make for a variety are unavailable due to the limited quantity. 

In addition to the limited selection of underwhelming food, I have experienced an issue with the containers we are given to transport our food. As many of you know, we are unable to eat in most dining halls. They are encouraging us to return to our dorm rooms to eat our food. However, this proves to be an issue. The containers do not do a good job of sealing the food in, often resulting in food or sauce spilling into the plastic bag we are given to carry our food in. I am unable to get food with sauce on it, because by the time I have returned to my room, the sauce has made a mess in the bag and has managed to spill all over the other food in my container. Thus, yet again, my food options are limited. 

I have loved my experience on campus so far this year. However, I find myself longing to go home every time a meal rolls around. The only complaint I've had this entire year is the dining hall situation. Many meals have seldom felt appetizing. To me, it almost feels like the issues regarding the food are an attempt to keeps us out of the dining halls altogether to limit the spread of COVID-19, though I am sure that is not truly the case. However, it presents an issue, because many unsatisfied students result in traveling outside of our school's "bubble" in search of better food. I understand that COVID-19 impacts the world in various ways, however, I don't feel like COVID-19 is the reason the quality or selection of our food needs to be lackluster. I, along with many of my fellow students, agree on this matter. That is why I am calling for change. I understand the reason why dining halls across campus are serving the same food or why we are not allowed to eat in most dining halls. However, I feel like a larger selection of food is not an outlandish request, or at the very least have the food on the menu prepared as it should be. When I am asking for rice that is not crunchy and cold, I don't feel like I am requesting something impossible. Just as a reminder, we are paying around $14 for each meal, regardless of the lackluster quality. If the university is unable to present food worth this pricetag at every meal, the meal plan should be optional. 

Again, I know many students have experiences similar to mine at the dining halls, and I am sure the student body would appreciate an upgrade. Thank you for supporting this petition, and I am looking forward to a better dining hall situation!

If you have any specific concerns with the university's dining, you can contact them directly at https://housing.illinois.edu/Contact-Us/Contact-Us-Form