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Student organizations that host events in the SUB cannot bring in their own food.
According to the SUB’s Room Reservation Policy for chartered on-campus organizations, only Chartwells Catering and Campus Dining Services can provide food for events held in the building’s meeting rooms. Organizations can select from a menu prepared by the SUB, with prices that range from about $8 to $21 per person.
Associate Vice President for Student Life Walter Miller said other companies can’t provide food services in the SUB because Chartwells is the only company licensed by the state for food operations in the SUB. He said Chartwells is also liable for any food-related accidents that occur in the SUB.
Miller said the policy only applies in the SUB because the University’s contract with Chartwells authorizes only the company to provide food for social events in the meeting rooms in the building. He said the contract does not apply to academic halls or to classrooms on campus because catering is not used in other buildings.
Miller said the policy makes it safer for students who eat food in the SUB because the food is certified to meet state health standards.
“The main reason … is that the current food provider is licensed to do it,” he said. “They are certified by the Department of Health in the state. If anything goes wrong, the state department will have to go after that organization.”
Miller said that because the SUB aims to uphold its health standards, there is no possibility that the building will allow student organizations to bring their own food to events in the future.
“It’s protection to the students as well as the whole student community,” he said. “Health comes before policy. We are a licensed facility and we maintain health standards, and so we’re going to protect that.”
Miller said the SUB rarely encounters problems with student groups not following the policy and that problems usually occur in the beginning of the semester because students are not used to the policy.
Miller said organizations that disobey the policy for the first time receive verbal warnings. But he said that if an organization repeatedly disregards the policy, it will be barred from renting rooms in the SUB.
Miller said the catering menu is priced fairly, providing students with price-sensitive options and a simple menu. He said fundraisers hosted in the SUB, such as bake sales, are exceptions to the policy because the SUB wants to help organizations raise money without asking them to pay more. The SUB is still accountable for any trouble that may be caused by food sold at fundraisers.
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He said the SUB only allows baked goods to be sold at fundraisers because baked goods are cooked in advance and don’t need special care, such as refrigeration or heating. He said they have not encountered food-related problems with student-organized fundraisers in the past.
But Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) Council Chair Kris Miranda said that because the policy prohibits organizations from bringing their own food, the policy makes it hard to organize events in the SUB.
Miranda said GPSA hosts most of its meetings in the morning, which would require the organization to purchase a breakfast catering option from Chartwells. He said this option is too expensive.
“I would like to do more GPSA Council meetings in the SUB because it’s more convenient,” he said. “But I can’t do many of that because our budget is pretty tight.”
Miranda said that although the policy sometimes benefits students, the policy puts newer student organizations with small budgets at a disadvantage.
“I understand the reasoning,” he said. “But I think starting organizations are hit. Student organizations use the SUB because it is free and they don’t have huge budgets.”
Miranda said that although the SUB should not eliminate the catering menu, allowing students to choose to bring their own food or buy from the SUB would give organizations more flexibility.
“The convenient thing for us is just not to have those restrictions,” he said. “I like having the option, but those sorts of things would cost a lot less money coming from outside.”
Associated Students of the University of New Mexico (ASUNM) Attorney General Gregory Montoya-Mora said the SUB’s catering menu has a variety of options that can accommodate both small and large events.
“Dealing with organizing events for ASUNM, it’s really convenient,” he said. “We could place some orders, the menu’s easily readable and we can have large-capacity events.”
Montoya-Mora said that because members of ASUNM are often busy with school and with operations in the organization, they are never able to bring their own food. Because of this, he said the menu makes it easier for student organizations to organize events.
“It will not be possible for ASUNM to bring our own food,” he said. “We’re pretty busy with other stuff. So if we do need food — perfect.”
Montoya-Mora said that because the catering policy is part of the SUB’s rules, organizations should adhere to the policy. He said that although it might be cheaper for organizations to bring their own food to events, the policy is a fair move by the SUB.
”In an institution as big as the University of New Mexico, it’s hard to do it any other way,” he said.
