Sodexho hikes price, students strike back
Stephanie Jevtic
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: News
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A boycott is ensuing at Northeastern Illinois University against Sodexho after the $6.7 billion corporation decided to increase food prices for NEIU this school year. Sodexho is also the new food provider here at UIC campus.
The impending price increases were made public by permission of the Student Government Association senator Steven Jerome. The SGA at NEIU, in a message sent Sept. 16, stated they are continuing an investigation of the Sodexho food service provider on campus.
It was at the SGA meeting that representatives from Sodexho food services came to brief the students on plans to raise the meal costs.
Sodexho presented the costs of their products as competitive with other large food providers and further justified the price increases by the inflationary effects of a devalued U.S. dollar currency.
NEIU has an exclusive contract with Sodexho, so compromise and consensus will take time. The planned strike however, indicates how willing the student body is to be involved in the process and fight for themselves.
The SGA is at the head of the movement to avert the proposed increases. Jerome believes, "this exclusive contract is both inefficient and a violation of the economic freedom of our students. This is a university whose low tuition helps thousands of students who could not otherwise afford to attend college to pursue their degree. We need to consider the effects of price increases for these students. I would like to work with the administration to further investigate the matter."
Director of Campus Housing Anthony Martin provided a plethora of information on UIC's relationship with Sodexho.
"The contract with Sodexho runs for three years with two one-year extensions possible," said Martin.
The new meals provided by Sodexho have been noted as much better from previous years.
Martin said, "I was pleased that Sodexho was willing to provide resident students with a basic five-day meal plan as well as?an all-you-can-eat from 7:30 a.m. until midnight at the same price that last year's?basic Meal Plan #1 was scheduled to be."
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The impending price increases were made public by permission of the Student Government Association senator Steven Jerome. The SGA at NEIU, in a message sent Sept. 16, stated they are continuing an investigation of the Sodexho food service provider on campus.
It was at the SGA meeting that representatives from Sodexho food services came to brief the students on plans to raise the meal costs.
Sodexho presented the costs of their products as competitive with other large food providers and further justified the price increases by the inflationary effects of a devalued U.S. dollar currency.
NEIU has an exclusive contract with Sodexho, so compromise and consensus will take time. The planned strike however, indicates how willing the student body is to be involved in the process and fight for themselves.
The SGA is at the head of the movement to avert the proposed increases. Jerome believes, "this exclusive contract is both inefficient and a violation of the economic freedom of our students. This is a university whose low tuition helps thousands of students who could not otherwise afford to attend college to pursue their degree. We need to consider the effects of price increases for these students. I would like to work with the administration to further investigate the matter."
Director of Campus Housing Anthony Martin provided a plethora of information on UIC's relationship with Sodexho.
"The contract with Sodexho runs for three years with two one-year extensions possible," said Martin.
The new meals provided by Sodexho have been noted as much better from previous years.
Martin said, "I was pleased that Sodexho was willing to provide resident students with a basic five-day meal plan as well as?an all-you-can-eat from 7:30 a.m. until midnight at the same price that last year's?basic Meal Plan #1 was scheduled to be."
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