n It was Monday, March 1, and I was leaving the West Campus dining hall after dinner with one of my friends when the manager approached. She informed me that I could not take the sandwich I had wrapped up with me out of the dining hall. I was only allowed one piece of fruit. She walked away as I put my tray on the conveyor belt and walked in the opposite direction out of the dining hall.

I had already left the dining hall and was almost at the Sleeper Hall Security Desk when I heard her yelling, “Sir, Sir!” She caught up to me and explained once again that I was not allowed to remove the sandwich from the dining hall. I politely informed her that I was going to eat the sandwich tomorrow for lunch while I was at my student teaching placement. I had no other means of getting lunch other than to take something from the dining hall. The manager reminded me of the “Rhetty To Go” meals, for which I could fill out a form and have a lunch waiting for me when I left the building in the morning. One problem – I leave at 6:30 a.m. and the dining hall opens at 7 a.m. She continued to insist that I turn over the stolen goods. I commented that if I did, the sandwich would be thrown out and go to waste. Nevertheless, she demanded that I give her my sandwich.

So there I was. Alone in my single in luxurious Sleeper Hall without a lunch for Tuesday wondering what the purpose of such a ludicrous rule is. Students are allowed to take one piece of fruit or one ice cream cone from the dining hall, a sign at the entrance to the West Campus Fresh Food Co. proclaims. What sense does this make?

I’ve heard people say it is because of health issues. Then why can students bring their own food into residences? You have the same chance of getting bugs or rodents that way. Others suggest it is because they don’t want to waste food, but by throwing out sandwiches people take from the dining hall, you are wasting food. What if one of my friends was sick and asked me to get some food from the dining hall? I can’t under this ordinance unless it is a piece of fruit or an ice cream cone. Or what about those students who student teach and want to bring lunch with them instead of spending money everyday for school lunch? They must spend the money or figure out some way to get food.

Maybe I just don’t get it. Maybe I’m too young to understand. I don’t know. But what I do know is that the dining hall staff needs to relax and stop their power trips. I encourage each and every Boston University student who eats in a campus dining hall to take whatever they want when leaving. At least it will be eaten instead of being thrown away. We paid for our meal plan, so why can’t we take our food out of the dining hall?

Jason Gutlaizer

SED ’04

Resident Assistant, Sleeper Hall