There has been much hype regarding the opening of the new and improved War Memorial Student Union. However, one student argues that the new union is anything but new and improved.
Tracy Rathbun, who graduated with her bachelor’s degree in sociology in May 2012 and will be graduating with her master’s degree in applied sociology this May, has a unique sense of taste, but not by choice.
Rathbun was diagnosed with celiac disease a little over a year ago, forcing her to avoid all foods containing gluten.
“It’s pretty common, but a lot of people don’t know that they have it until they start taking gluten out of their diet,” said Rathbun. “I had really severe symptoms, so mine was kind of obvious once I took gluten out of my diet.”

With the expansion of the new Student Union, Rathbun said she was expecting more alternatives because that is what university officials had said before the union opened.

Notices to the campus had indicated that, “The Mane Dish will feature a fresh food concept offering a wide range of foods prepared on the spot in front of guests.”

According to Robin Parker, director of marketing and strategic initiatives for Auxiliary Services, “Actually, the fresh food concept equates into higher quality food (not sitting under heating lamps, served quickly upon preparation) and, for those who choose, healthier options. For example, with the concept of the fresh food stations customers have choices when building their entrees. For example, yesterday a pulled pork sandwich was available. Some customers chose not to eat the bread or add the sauce while others included a salad. On Tuesday, soft tacos were offered at the deli, but some customers built their plate without the tortilla.”
“They kept saying that there was going to be ‘real food’ and ‘fresh food’ and all this stuff,” said Rathbun. “But you walk in there and it’s Taco Bell and MOOYAH, which is kind of a step up, but not really. It’s just a fancier Burger King. They were promising all of this real food, and then you walk into the union and it’s not.”
On the first floor of the new Student Union, students have the option of choosing between four fast food restaurants: MOOYAH, Panda Express, Taco Bell and Chick-Fil-A.
The new union’s second floor is occupied by The Mane Dish, which is essentially a cafeteria-style restaurant for university students with meal plans.
In the old War Memorial Student Union, Rathbun said all she could eat were Subway salads and mashed potatoes from Popeyes. Even then, however, Rathbun said she had to constantly worry about cross-contamination that would cause her celiac disease to flare up.
Nonetheless, Rathbun said the new Student Union is not all that different from the previous one.
“They were promising all these really good things and then it was like we got a second Chick-Fil-A, because we really need another one on campus, and they just moved Taco Bell from one location to another,” said Rathbun. “There really isn’t anything new and fresh and delicious about the new union.”
According to Rathbun, she has three options of food choices on the new Student Union’s first floor, including plain rice from Panda Express, a hamburger wrapped in lettuce from MOOYAH and a pre-packaged salad from Chick Fil A, which she described as “disgusting.”
Normally, french fries are an option for gluten-free individuals, but Rathbun said that the french fries from Chik-Fil-A and MOOYAH are fried with chicken and onion rings, which cross-contaminates them.
“Cross contamination is a major concern,” said Rathbun. “I can have French fries, but because of the fact that they fry them with everything else, I can’t have them.”

Director of Dining Services Martin Balisteri did not immediately respond to comment requests, but later clarified that, “French fries in Chick Fil A and Mooyahs are cooked in separate oil, which is Canola oil. The only product that has gluten in Mooyahs is the bun and the onion rings. Chick Fil A salads are made twice daily. They are prepared in the kitchen with fresh produce and chicken, which is grilled on a designated chargrill.”

Also, Rathbun would normally be able to eat the steamed vegetables from Panda Express. However, the vegetables are cooked in the same woks that have contained soy sauce and teriyaki sauce, cross-contaminating that option as well.
Due to the lack of alternatives from the new union, Rathbun said she recently went to try the food that The Mane Dish had to offer. As she walked in a couple hours after noon, Rathbun said she received the leftover food from lunch, which ended up being a salad with few choices to choose from for toppings.
“There wasn’t even ham, or certain lettuce, it was just pretty much what they had left over from lunch, but I just paid $7.58 and there was nothing I could really eat,” said Rathbun. “I kind of had no choice but to get the salad or to leave without getting food, but I didn’t want to give the school $7.58 for nothing.”
Though Rathbun said that she would not have to utilize Campus Dining for much longer, since she is graduating, she said that other students should demand that alternatives be added.
“If they could just be more conscious about cross-contamination because it can get tricky, I know that because it’s a complicated thing,” said Rathbun. “But if they would just have a separate fryer for fries. Just some kind of way to separate fryers or woks.”
A salad or baked potato bar, according to Rathbun, are simple solutions to a larger issue that not only affects her, but other students on campus with the same diet, whether by choice or for health reasons.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include quotes and information from Robin Parker and Martin Balisteri.