news ’^E'^DULUM
PAGE 6 // WEDNESDAY. MARCH 17, 2010
ARAMARK seeks dining growtli in future
MOLiV CAREY | Staff Phdograplw
ARAMARK continues to provide for students by updating the meal plan system on a regular b^is, including last
semester. ARAMARK is about to begin planning to create future changes to stay current with The Elon Commitment.
Jack Rodenfels
Senior Reporter
At the beginning of the
school year, ARAMARK, Elon
University’s food service
provider, restructured the
meal-plan system in an attempt
to provide more variety and
options to Elon students.
With more than a semester
of the new meal plan system
underway, ARAMARK plans to
continue improving its dining
options to appease students in
the years to come.
Jeff Gazda, resident district
manager of ARAMARK,
said constant evaluation
and improvements are
always necessary as student
preferences and ideals change.
“Everything we accomplish
is from direct feedback
of students,” Gazda said.
“Whether it’s through online
surveys, focus groups or
interaction with SGA.”
ARAMARK is about to
begin a planning phase where
it looks into future changes
that will need to be made to
keep updated with the current
Elon Commitment, strategic
plan. This spring, ARAMARK
will begin working with the
university, architects and
contractors for the future. The
first place where new dining
facilities could be added is
North area, Gazda said.
ARAMARK has been the
university's food service
provider since 1960. Gazda
came to Elon in 1992, when
there were only two smaller
dining halls, McEwen and
Harden, and a vending machine
in Long.
“You were assigned to a
dining hall based on where
you lived on campus,” Gazda
said. “ARAMARK has mirrored
the university in its constant
growth."
Under the new structure
of the meal plan, meal dollars
have been added to each plan
— the 19, 15, 10 or five meal
swipes per week. In addition,
more meal combos have been
added, while the $2.50 meal
plan cash equivalency has
been eliminated.
The new meal plan model
has garnered mixed reactions.
While some students have
enjoyed and benefitted from
the restructured meal plan,
others see the new meal plan
as more restrictive.
“1 think on-campus dining
provides quality food, and a
lot of the options and variety
of establishments are nice,"
freshman Darien Flowers said.
“1 just wish that there were
more options for late-night
food choices on campus."
Students living on campus
are required by the university
to have at least the five meal-
plan package. Upperclassmen
living off-campus are not
required to have a meal plan.
“By not having a meal
plan. I’ve become much more
likely to eat meals at home or
off-campus," junior Krysten
Malcolm said. “But if I am
grabbing a snack on campus, it
is nice to use Phoenix Cash for
quick purchases.”
ARAMARK and Elon share
an exclusive contract, which is
renegotiated each year. As the
only on-campus dining option,
ARAMARK works closely with
the university to meet the
needs of the students, staff
and faculty, Gazda said.
“Having a heavily
residential campus, and
with the emphasis on living-
learning communities, our
services fit in very well
with the environment of the
university," Gazda said. “The
only constant is change, and
change will continue to occur.
We are poised to work hand in
hand with the university for
the upcoming growth phase."
Pi Kappa Phi fraternity settles
furniture debate, cleans lawn
Samantha King
News Editor
For more than a month, a pool table,
parts of two couches and a broken table
rested on Pi Kappa Phi fraternity’s lawn.
When the Phi Mu sorority moved from
a house to a suite in Maynard Hall this
year, it was left with no room to house its
potential new members for recruitment.
Since the fraternities leave for Fake Break
when girls' recruitment is scheduled.
Phi Mu members were allowed to use a
fraternity house.
They chose to use Pi Kappa Phi's.
The furniture was not suitable for
recruitment, so Phi Mu moved it to the
deck, senior Pi Kappa Phi brother Devin
Darrell said. Then it rained, and the
furniture became moldy.
After spring semester began, the
men moved the couch onto the lawn
so they could have room for their own
recruitment, not expecting the upcoming
snow storm that made the furniture even
more useless.
“The incident was not discussed in
chapter or even board meetings,” said
junior Evan Davis, former alumni relations
chair. “We assumed it was being taken care
of."
Normally, organizations are given a
contract and told to negotiate terms and
conditions according to the director of
Greek Life, Shana Plasters. This year. Pi
Kappa Phi chose not to create a contract,
but president Daniel Shulman said this is
something the fraternity will definitely do
in the future.
Plasters said the men asked Greek Life
where they could take the furniture, if
there was an option for the university to
move it and the associated cost.
“The men were asked repeatedly (to
move the furniture),” Plasters said. “But
they had the same excuses each time: not
enough money, no brothers to help and no
vehicle.”
Plasters said the Greek Life office does
not have a written policy of when deadlines
for requests should be met, but that it is
expected.
Although Plasters said the men were
waiting because they did not have enough
money to pay for the furniture removal,
she mentioned there was a $25 fee per
The men were asked
repeatedly (to move the
furniture)... But they had the
same excuses each time: not
enough money, no brothers to
help and no vehicle.
- Shana Plasters
DIRECTOR OF GREEK LIFE
m
day for anything left outside the facility.
Whether Pi Kappa Phi was charged or paid
the accumulating fee is undetermined.
“If there had been a couch outside
of Smith, it would have been gone
immediately,” said junior John Roman, new
member educator and head of research and
development. “We thought Physical Plant
was going to take care of it. They're just
like dorm rooms.”
Robert Bucholz said his department
cannot remove anything from campus
without a call and a payment.
“Typically, if something was left outside
the residence halls, the RA would call us
and the owner of the property would be
fined,” Bucholz said. “We would take a look
at how much manpower is needed, then
charge $15-20 per hour to move the item.”
Physical Plant did not remove the
furniture, but the brothers did.
Plasters said the deadline for removal
was before noon on March 10, but could
not specify how far in advance the deadline
was made. Davis, Darrell and Roman
said they moved the furniture early that
morning with Davis' truck, the only one in
the fraternity. Shulman said the furniture
was not taken until 1 p.m. Whether the
men were fined could not be specified by
Plasters.
Funding to replace the furniture was
divided between Phi Mu and Pi Kappa Phi
for the damages.
“It’s not Phi Mu’s fault at all,” Shulman
said. “We should have gotten rid of it
sooner rather than later.”
Phi Mu president Katharine West
declined to comment.
Grade inflation translates to
‘academic challenge’ at Elon
Qabriela Szewcow
Design Chief
Grade inflation is a growing concern at universities across the nation.
At Elon University, it’s an issue that Associate Provost Nancy Midgette
prefers to refer to as “level of academic challenge.”
“Grade inflation is a tricky term,” Midgette said. “It’s difficult to
understand what it really means.”
She said the academic challenge of a university needs to rise as fast as
the caliber of students rise.
On the collegiate level, GPAs are on the rise all over the nation. Midgette
has worked at Elon for 10 years and has noticed an increase in GPAs during
that time.
“Over the past 10 years, students’ GPAs have increased,” Midgette
said. “But it has been a gradual increase. There have been no giant leaps.”
Midgette says there are multiples causes for this increase.
“This could be because our students are more talented academically,"
she said. “Also, Elon has a low student-to-faculty ratio. We also stress
experiential learning, which helps students to achieve a higher
performance.”
Midgette said students at Elon can receive help from a professor easily
and often because of the low student-to-faculty ratio. Professors also have
students hcuid in multiple drafts of work in order to ensure a stronger
performance on assignments.
Professor of education Glenda Crawford has different thoughts on the
cause of grade Inflation at Elon and across the nation.
“One reason for grade iiifiation in universities across the country and
at Elon may be the trend toward more alternative assessments such as
papers, presentations, collaborative projects and performances. These
assessments are generally measured against criteria on rubrics and risk
being less objective."
The question is whether or not this rise in GPA is a bad thing.
“I don’t think that increasing the level of contact with students is a bad
thing," Midgette said. She said she believes It is the job of educators to help
students succeed against the standards that are set for them.
Midgette has a mantra she keeps with her in the classroom: “1 believe
that students will live up to or down to my expectations.”
Crawford thinks there can be something done to help the issue of
grade inflation at Elon.
“As professors, we need to think about and communicate to students
what constitutes an A, she said. Exemplary work or performance exceeds
expectations,” she said.
She also believes there are tangible ways to make a real change.
“I think we need to use multiple and varied assessments, both
traditional and alternative, to provide a broader view of student success.
Crawford said.
So, is there a grade inflation problem here at Elon? Midgette doesnt
think the question is easily answered.
“It's too easy to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’,” she said. “Neither is the right answer.
The right answer is a question. And that question is: Are we providing our
students with an adequate academic challenge?”
Midgette said the answer to this question is constantly changio&
because Elon has to continue to adapt to the caliber of students that attend
the university.
I would like for all of Elon's faculty to always ask ourselves if we are
providing the appropriate level of academic challenge for our students ^
vve plan our curriculum,” Midgette said. “We have to work to adequately
challenge our students and prepare them for what’s next.”