Distraught Over Dining: Students organize West Campus Dining Hall protest after voicing frustations

When the Fresh Food Company at West Campus started handing out smaller portion sizes and plates, Sam Wuest and Peter Campbell decided to mobilize Boston University students to boycott the dining hall.

“We thought it would be funny if everyone dropped their plates at once,” said Campbell, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore. “But then we settled on a boycott and made the Facebook page.”

Wuest, a CAS junior, and Campbell staged the boycott Wednesday to get the word out about their complaints.

The “BU Boycott of West Campus” Facebook event page, which was created on Sept. 9, had garnered attention from BU Dining Services and had 515 people responding as “attending.”

Originally, the page had expressed students’ complaints about the dining halls’ removal of the sandwich bars. However, Dining Services brought back the sandwich bar on Monday, Sept. 12, causing the students to shift focus to other concerns, according to the page.

“We heard you #BU and we are bringing back the old Deli station to all Res. Halls on Monday…,” said a tweet posted by the BU Dining Service Twitter account.

“The BU Dining Service direct messaged me on Twitter and politely asked us to cancel it after the deli was brought back,” Wuest said.

In response, Campbell and Wuest said they offered to cancel it if Lobster Night was named after them.

“Needless to say, they didn’t do it,” Campbell said.

While more than 500 students responded as “attending” on Facebook, many students, including those who wrote on the page’s wall, said they were not impressed.

“I think it’s pretty stupid,” said Alec Bendix, a CAS senior, who received the Facebook invitation. “Smaller portions save the environment. If you want more food, just go back and get more.”

Camille Silva, a CAS freshman, said she considers the changes a health-conscious decision.

“I actually like the smaller plates. Smaller portions are healthier and you can always get more food if you’re hungry,” Silva said.

Campbell, however, said that as an athlete he needs larger portions to satisfy his appetite.

“After a long practice I’m starving and don’t want such little portions,” Campbell said.

“I eat in the dining hall four times a day, so for me this is a real problem,” Wuest said.

Some students, such as CAS sophomore Andrew Snyder, said that they also disagreed with the dining hall’s changes.

“I am kind of pissed about the portion sizes,” Snyder said.

BU Dining Service was unavailable for comment, but its Facebook page responded to posts on the boycott’s event page yesterday, with comments including “Chicken Cesar Salad wraps at the burrito station today!” and “Mac & Cheese at West for Dinner tonight!”

Several times they engaged in conversation with students, asking them how they could improve their dining hall experiences.

In the end it seems as though Wuest and Campbell’s message was lost on the general public, despite some support.

“The plates are all good,” said School of Management freshman Ben Mardkha, who hadn’t heard of the boycott. “Seems like just another thing for kids to complain about.”