Dish group pushes for accountability

Author: Emily Nunez

A new student initiative to decrease student indifference about dining hall dishes spearheaded by Molley Kaiyoorawongs '09 began publicizing its agenda on campus last week. Kaiyoorawongs hopes that by informing the student body about the negative impact that failing to return dining hall dishes has on the budget, she will be able to enact change on campus at the grass roots level.

Matthew Biette, director of dining services, must budget $50,000 in reparations. Kaiyoorawongs hopes that by informing the student body about this considerable amount of capital being depleted by their negligence, she can help lessen Middlebury's financial burden in a simple, but proactive way.

"My goal is to mobilize students to feel partially responsible for the dishes their peers leave behind and therefore increase the rate of dish returns to the dining halls," she said.

Kaiyoorawongs began her initiative where many recent student groups form - Facebook. Her group is named, "Students Against the Disappearance of Dining Hall Dishes". In addition to educating the Facebook masses on the issue, she has met with Biette, Senior Residence Director Lee Zerrilla and the Student Government Association (SGA).

The SGA is currently debating ways to solve the problem. Atwater Commons Senator Ethan Schmertzler '12 is brainstorming solutions by reviewing other college's dining policies and contacting their directors of dining services to compare methods of accountability.

In addition to spreading awareness and contacting the authorities about the issue, Kaiyoorawongs is trying to act in a way she hopes other students will try to emulate. She strives to return dishes found strewn around campus, even moldy dishes encrusted with days-old food. She hopes a campus-wide initiative will follow her concentrated efforts, because she is dismayed by what she sees as students' apathy concerning cleanliness.

"The Middlebury culture is that if we make a mess, we expect to come back to it cleaned up. We have no idea that there aren't house elves to clean it up," Kaiyoorawongs says.

There have been negative implications to campus life besides disarray in residence halls. The controversial loss of juice at dinner is a direct result of Dining Services' need to buy utensils and dishware to replace the ones lying around campus. Midnight Breakfast has also been threatened, but with widespread returns, the extra cost it requires would be less of a burden on the dining facility's budget.

"Middlebury College should not be responsible for raising us from zero to eighteen," said Kaiyoorawongs.

The only solution to this problem, according to Kaiyoorawongs, is to increase student responsibility. An impediment to the ceaseless pattern of borrowing without returning would help, but so far the clause in the handbook which states, "Removal of food, dishes, utensils, etc., from College dining facilities (including the Grille, Rehearsals Café, Golf Course, and Snow Bowl) may result in a $35 fine and disciplinary proceedings," has not been enforced. Alternatives of paper ware to-go or a door monitor are not feasible either, as dining hall funds are being spent on new dishes for the dining halls.