By Brian Bohl

When it comes to meal options on campus next year, University students will have a greater say.

The University administration reached an agreement with the Student Government Association that will allow three undergraduates to be part of a committee that is scheduled to choose a food services provider next semester, according to SGA officials.

Lackmann Culinary Services, the current provider, will see its exclusive deal come to a close this spring, affording the opportunity for any state catering service to enter competitive bidding for a new contract. The company’s original five-year deal was set to end in 2005, but was extended for an extra year.

“The Lackmann contract came up last year, but it was passed because the University was undergoing a lot of big projects at once,” SGA President Pete DiSilvio said. “It gave them the time to properly deal with the contract situation, so they put if off for a single year.”

DiSilvio, along with SGA Vice President Russell Akiyama, met with University President Stuart Rabinowitz for an hour-long meeting last Tuesday. While no specifics were discussed, there was a broad agreement that the best deal put forward by a “credible” bid would receive the contract, both SGA officers said.

While the sit-down with Rabinowitz was limited to an hour, both sides agreed to have future monthly meetings to keep the student representatives updated on any new developments.

“He was very receptive,” said Akiyama about meeting with the head of the University’s administration. “My only reservation was that we didn’t have enough time because we had a large agenda.”

At this time, neither side said they know for sure what companies might be interested. There is also uncertainty over the potential length of any new deal, though recent precedents indicate it will probably not be a year-to-year agreement.

“I doubt it will be year-to-year,” DiSilvo said. “The old Lackmann deal was five years, so I’d assume it would be something like that. But I can’t say for sure.”

While the full committee has not been officially established, both administrators said it will consist minimally of nine members, including the student representatives. The co-chairpersons will be Joseph Barkwill, the vice president for facilities and operations, and Sandra Johnson, the vice president for student affairs.

“Whenever a contract is up, the University wants to go into a competitive bidding process,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t mean we are not going to have Lackmann in the future. It means we are going to ask Lackmann as well as other providers to submit a proposal for taking on this certain service.”

In order to be considered, the potential food service providers must first submit an official request-for-proposal (RFP). A smaller selection committee will then go through the applications from the catering services before it goes to a full vote for the final decision.

With the students involved in the decision, the University will be able to sign a contract that is the most accommodating to their wishes, both administrators said. The possible changes citied by Johnson include a greater choice among meal options and a potential increase of business hours for dining areas on campus, though nothing is definitive.

Speaking in a conference room inside Phillips Hall, Johnson said there is a track record of the school making changes based on comments from the student body, including improved accommodations in the dining areas near the dorms.

“We have asked the SGA to give us representatives that will be serving as the voice of the students in this process,” she said. “We want to hear from students what it is they want.

“This year in particular, I can note that the Netherlands facility is open in the mornings, where it wasn’t before. That came out of a catalyst of students saying ‘we’re all living over there and we want to have breakfast there before class.’ There are changes that happen all through the course of any contract. We want to put all of those pieces into what we’re requesting.”

Barkwill, who just recently took over as operations vice president, said there are certain qualifications a potential bidder must have to serve the approximately 13,000 member student-body. An advantage might also be given to providers who currently serve other colleges and universities as well.

“We got to be careful that we have a company who is able to provide the services we need because we’re a large campus,” Barkwill said. “You’re not going to put out for everyone. You’re looking for different sizes. So, we’ll do some homework on our end.”

“It’s really about the competitive question,” Akiyama said. “For example, things like the costs of bottled water will be addressed. Why are some items so much more expensive here than in other places?”

DiSilvio is the first student member of the committee, joined by Patrick McDonald and Joshua Lanier.