To the Editor:
On April first I sent a letter to the Grievance Board of Housing and Dining requesting to be let off board for moral, financial and health reasons. My request was denied. In my letter I stated that due to my strong objections to using CDS, I am refusing to pay for their service which I do not use. Their denying me off-board status means I will not be allowed to return to Oberlin due to my unpaid CDS bill.
The gist of my letter to the Grievance Board is as follows: I am a vegetarian, and work about 20 hours a week. Eating has become a very political act; individual eating choices have health and environmental implications for people and communities around the world. Pesticide contamination, soil erosion, water table depletion, fuel consumption problems, health problems in farming communities and third world exploitation are all effects of the international agribusiness which CDS relies upon. The low-grade, pesticide-ridden food CDS offers often tastes bad and is cooked in an unhealthy manner. I can feed myself better using organic, local foods for less money.
I realize the OSCA option solves most of the aforementioned problems. However, due to work and school schedules, dietary needs and preferences, and political philosophies, OSCA is not right for everyone. It cannot accommodate everyone, as wait lists and lotteries attest.
I don't want to have to get married, exploit my allergies or have mommy and daddy bitch to Nancy Dye so I can get off board. I want to be let off board because as a conscientiously thinking person I can decide how to best feed myself, and whether I want to put my money and stomach into supporting a very political and detrimental food system.
Another concern I have with the Oberlin board policy is the College's relative monopoly of student eating in Oberlin. The College makes about one million dollars from board fees per year; I see why they might want to force students to eat on board. I wonder what effects this has on town-gown relations and the local economy. I don't know how this makes the rest of you feel, but it pisses me off when an entity such as Oberlin College uses its power to limit my choices, directly affecting my personal well being, to further benefit themselves financially. The College should ask for their money in the context of what it is used for, rather than hide institutional coasts in food bills.
"Think one person can change the world?" I wonder how they suppose we would be able to handle such a large task when they don't deem us worthy of making the most basic decision of how to feed ourselves. The time has come to stop letting the College tell us how we should eat. We, the students, should demand a board system which meets our dietary, financial and personal needs. We should have the freedom to choose not to eat on a college meal plan.
Obviously when one student puts his money where his mind is OC doesn't care. But, I wonder what would be the effect if ten students who feel as I do did the same? What about fifty? Surely they would not inconsequentially let all of us slip away. As well as being of local and personal concern, this issue has political and environmental ramifications which span the planet. I urge my fellow disgruntled students to take a stand and actively voice their concerns with the college dining policies. Together, maybe we can at least change a dining policy.
Copyright © 1996, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 124, Number 24; May 10, 1996
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