News Wednesday, September 25, 2013 • page 6 service, and an ice machine and sink were marked down for heavy mold build-up. Some food was not date-marked, and a bag of lettuce was stored for nine days. The state requires many ready-to-eat and potentially hazardous foods to be consumed, sold or discarded within four days of preparation or storage to limit the growth of pathogens and toxins. Self-service foods, including but ter, granola, salad toppings, cheese and cookies, were not protected with sneeze guards. A few stored dishes were found dirty, and clean utensils were stored with a greasy surge protector strip. The facili ties received other demerits for failing to properly sanitize wiping cloths. Across the state of North Carolina, health and sanitation inspections have become an increasingly painstaking pro cess. Last year, the environmental branch of the Alamance County Health Depart ment released an updated document of food service sanitation rules to which dining establishments must adhere. The list identifies the top five risk factors found in any kitchen, includ ing improper holding temperatures and poor employee hygiene, along with ways to combat those risks behind the scenes. Food handlers are now required to wash their hands more frequently throughout the day, and mandatory holding tempera tures have been adjusted. Nelson said Elon takes a number of precautions to ensure each facility is meeting the state requirements for in spection. “We have an institutional priority of maintaining at least a 97 percent on all of our inspections,” Nelson said. “The cri teria developed by the state continuously becomes more stringent, and the Elon fa cilities continue to receive the same high scores.” But it wasn’t always that way. In April 2002, The Pendulum reported several fa cilities that had not scored nearly as high as they do now. At the time, the highest on-campus sanitation grade was a 94.5 at McEwen Dining Hall. The lowest was at Acorn Coffee Shop: 88 percent. But according to Nelson, ARAMARK has assisted Elon’s employees in becoming more conscious of sanitation throughout the years. This includes fulfillment of a ■ ii Jm Colonnades Dining Hail and the adjacent 1889 Grill Room received a sanitation score of 82 after the most recent health inspection, 14 points lower th^ itsTast score. training program called ServSafe which, if completed by a manager or employee, was formerly able to boost any dining establishment’s sanitation grade by two points. Now, SafeServ certification is a requirement for all food service employ ees in the state. “As an organization, we do have a third party inspect our facilities as a part of our safety platform,” Nelson said. “All of our managers are ServSafe certified, and we have continuing training and de velopmental opportunities for our front line associates.” Poor sanitation practices on college campuses can lead to food-related ill nesses caused by bacteria and other prac tices, as well as problems for people who have food allergies. Despite the recent Colonnades Dining Hall demerits, on- campus eating establishments consis tently score high sanitation ratings, often ranging between 97 and 101. In March, Colonnades Dining Hail received a rating of 96 and Lakeside Din ing Hall received a rating of 99. McEwen Dining Hall was given a score of 98 in May. Freshman Victoria Murphy said she believed Colonnades employees would improve their sanitation. Even though her friends encouraged her to eat at other dining locations, she said she continued to eat there, partly out of convenience. “I’ve been eating here for a month, and I’ve been fine,” she said. “I trust that they will do what they have to do.” Freshman Caroline Grell also said that she still ate at the dining hall after the score was issued. “I feel like now that it’s public knowl edge, they’ll do something about it,” Grell said. Sophomore Sarah Vaughan said the rating at Colonnades might influence other on-campus eateries to improve their sanitation practices. “It sends a message for other dining halls to watch out,” she said. Vaughan said she did not pay atten tion to Elon Dining’s sanitation practices before the Colonnades rating. When the score was released, she said she un derstood that the facility was deducted points for health violations. “I was really surprised that a low rat ing would be given at a college,” Vaughan said. “I don’t want to be eating something that’s not prepared very well.” Despite these negative attitudes to ward the news about the Colonnades inspection, ARAMARK is optimistic about its prevention program, according to Nelson. “We are committed to the health and safety of Elon students and we are con fident that we will continue to maintain a quality dining program,” Nelson said. ARAMARK will continue to follow all of the local health regulations and retrain all employees on their ServSafe certifica tion.” V