CDS Finalist Chosen, but Not Announced
BY ARIEL WHITWORTH

After much anticipation, the Request for Proposals committee decided not to announce a finalist dining service. Instead they postponed the final decision until later in the semester. 
As of now, the finalists Chartwells, Parkhurst and Bon Appetit remain, but according to committee members Parkhurst and Bon Appetit stand out. 
Last week, the Housing and Dining Committee, composed of six students and eight faculty members, met to discuss the final three companies. The RFP committee, composed of two students and four faculty members, had taken trips to sample food from schools that were supplied by the various companies. 
A decision was expected last Tuesday, but the committee recessed to gather more information. 
According to Director of Residential Life and Services Kim LaFond, a company was selected Thursday night, but details are still being worked out. “We’ve selected a company we’re very interested in and we’re just putting some final information together. If that happens, we should have a dining company,” he said.
The three remaining companies range from Chartwells, a larger company that offers a variety of fast food chains and themed food days, to Parkhurst, a small company who proposed ideas such as coffee and sushi bars. Parkhurst took a survey of Oberlin students to help with their report, and proposes including many regional vendors. Bon Appetit offers a sizeable vegetarian option, and even suggested offering health and beauty drug store options. Any student who wishes to look at the proposals in detail can view them in the reserve room at the library.
Director of Residential Life and Services Kim LaFond said before Thursday’s meeting, “This is not a short-term thing. The company that we choose will be here a while. We aren’t dragging our feet, we just want more time to be fair to the companies. We should resolve the issue by Commencement.” Assistant Director of Residential and Services Michele Gross added, “We better have it by Commencement.”
To some, the process seemed unreasonable. Junior Ted Virdone, a member of the Housing and Dining committee said, “The process was undemocratic. For instance, the HDC bylaws said that the meetings would be open to the Oberlin community. However, staff members on the committee changed this decision because of reasons of confidentiality, such as bid discussions and reference to salaries. Nothing of the sort ever occurred.” 
According to Virdone, students have voiced a preference for Parkhurst, whereas administrators seem to favor Chartwells. 
Students had mixed opinions on the subject. “You have to remember that all these companies want to make money. Our best option would be running our own management,” Virdone said. Others mentioned the fact that places like Chartwells had a low union density. 
Gross and LaFond were definitely concerned about student interest, “All the companies have their strengths and weaknesses. I would not discount any of them. We want students to be happy with the company we select,” LaFond said.
Other students were more interested in the kind of food that would be served. “I want to see more fruit,” first-year Anya Temple said. 
First-year Claire Mershon said, “I’d like to see vegetables that actually look and taste like vegetables. Or an organic salad bar with organic veggies and good dressings.” 
There was also a strong interest in serving local food.