Clearing Up the Trayless Issue
by: Basil Panton ‘11Student Senate has first and final say on whether the Commons would go trayless
The debate about the consideration of going trayless at the Commons has halted temporarily over the last three weeks. This dormancy of discussion by some members of the campus might have been due to the closing of the semester, as a growing number of students become more preoccupied by school-related work and less concerned about the actions surrounding them. At the same time, there are those who are passionate about the trayless plan and who continue to update themselves about the issues that unfold. This article is intended to inform all students and others of this community about the progression of the trayless program and clarify certain misconceptions and judgments.
One such erroneous notion, according to Miguel Mogollon, the chairman of the Student Committee for Recycling and Preservation (SCRAP), a student-comprised body as part of the student government of H-SC, is that the trayless program is an administrative takeover that will not be accepted by students. Indeed, there have articles in the Tiger both supporting and countering this argument. The writer who supported the argument that the administration of the college is pushing change on the students referred to a similar situation in the past. The contributor who opposed the argument mentioned that one cannot just compare two different situations, especially when there is no strong evidence of one of the situations. This back-and-forth exchange is not unique to the paper, as students make known their opinions on the subject. While students continue legitimately to add their viewpoints, Miguel assured that “this is not an administrative change.” As unexpected as it might sound, Miguel also certified that without students’ consensus, “we cannot implement this program.”
But, how are students going to trust the words of anyone when the majority does not approve of this change? The students’ representatives and voice, the Senate, will make the ultimate decision regarding any move to go trayless. In the words of Miguel, the Senate “has the first and the last say.” The Senate has the first say in that this body must vote on the pilot trayless plan and the long-term trayless program, if they were to advance. In another situation, were Aramark, the Food Committee, or superior college authorities be in favor of the plans, the Senate again has the power to disapprove the former group’s preference; in this scenario, the Senate has the final input. With so much control given to the Senate, however, Miguel cautions that this organization not abuse its authority. Miguel argues that there can easily be trade-offs—coming to agreement and making proposals—between Aramark and the Senate. In any case, this should be a healthy negotiation, not a rejection process, opines Miguel.
In fact, the hope is that the outcome will be positive. Doubtlessly, “We know we are going to save,” Miguel reiterated. But, the truth is that there is no detailed statistics that can solidify the premise that both the college and the students will benefit from these ventures. It is agreed upon that “the only way to get real numbers” is from schools that have in place a trayless system. Such schools will know with certainty the results of the trayless plan. Hence, Miguel expressed that we too need to implement the trayless in order to realize the advantages. Were the project to be actualized, one aim is “to improve the size of the cups.” One of the students’ worries is that they would have to go to the food and liquid service-counters multiple times to satisfy their hunger and thirst. Still, this revelation, along with much more being considered to better students’ comfort, must be encouraging to the students.
The SCRAP concedes that this is a challenging path. Nonetheless, said Miguel, the members are committed to working with all students in this paramount agenda. Miguel urges that you should be “unselfish, altruistic” people. We cannot play a “passive” role during these times, charged Miguel, when the world revolves around the exact practice that we want to achieve. The fact is that after we leave college and enter the working force or any place outside this vicinity, “we are faced with a plethora of environmental undertakings.” Finally, get involved in the discussion, but accommodate others’ideas and thoughts. Be willing next semester to take into account all convenience of H-SC going trayless.
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