Staff Assembly would benefit Dining Services workers at the university in considering the addition of a Sodexo representative to the assembly. Dining Services workers do not currently have a voice on campus, as they are not technically employed by the university but by the university’s food provider Sodexo. However, they still deserve to have their comments and concerns heard.

Sodexo employees work to provide quality service and a positive experience for students, faculty and staff on a daily basis. They are the ones who make students’ college meal experience as polite and cozy as home with their smiling faces and eagerness to provide favorite meals and comfort food.

The university is held in high regard for its responsible treatment of employees, and while it is not legally required to provide Sodexo employees the same benefits as its own employees, the university does have a moral obligation to take steps to ensure that its contracted workers are being treated ethically by their employers.

While Sodexo is responsible for the benefits of their employees on campus, it is the university that is benefitting from their hard work and efforts to feed the Horned Frog family. In return, the university should look into the option of giving Sodexo employees a representative in Staff Assembly because they influence the community just as much as any university employee.

Associate editor Anna Waugh for the editorial board.