An environmental studies class and Bon Appetit, AU's on-campus food management service, will remove plates and bowls from the Terrace Dining Room Monday in an effort to make AU more environmentally friendly.
The two groups have been colluding for the past six weeks, occasionally removing trays from the dining hall to gauge student reactions and determine if fewer trays decrease waste.
After three weeks of carefully measuring the contents of TDR garbage bags, the results showed that only by eliminating both plates and trays could TDR be truly eco-friendly, said Chris P. Bacon, a Bon Appetit spokesman.
"We decided to continue Trayless Tuesdays for the next three weeks of the study to wean students off waste-causing things like trays and plates," he said. "We thought students might be a bit shocked if one day they walked into TDR and both trays and plates were gone."
Many students are questioning Bon Appetit's motives, claiming money hoarding and broken dishwashers are the true cause of the plates' disappearances.
"They already rip us off with meal plans, and now they're taking away our trays and plates?" said Brock Lee, a sophomore in the Kogod School of Business. "What is this? The Soviet Union? Bring back the plates!"
Lee, a self-proclaimed "hearty eater," questioned how he would be
able to carry all of his food to the table without plates and trays. He said he would have to make multiple trips - one for each food item - and eat them one at a time.
Polly Ester, a freshman in the School of International Service, said her only worry would be what to do with soup.
"I suppose I just won't get soup, since I can't carry it in my hands," she said. "But giving up soup is a small price to pay to save the environment and stop global warming. I would do anything to save the polar bears."
TDR will serve more finger-friendly food, like vegetables and meat, rather than items like mashed potatoes or rice that would be difficult to hold, Bacon said.
Hand sanitizer dispensers will also be available by the dining hall stairs for students to clean their hands after their hand-held meals.
"That's great that they'll provide hand sanitizer and more vegetables," said Ophelia Payne, a junior in the Spitzer School of Pubic Affairs. "But the entire plateless idea is ridiculous. The environment isn't in so much danger that we can't have a plate. At least ration us one each."
While TDR will not provide plates or trays, students are welcome to bring their own dishes. Silverware will still be available since running the dishwasher is not harmful to the environment, Bacon said. The problem is students piling large amounts of food on their plates and not eating it.
Bon Appetit will sell the trays and dishes on the main quad next week to benefit Resurrect the Dodo, a charity organization that seeks to clone the extinct dodo bird.
"We figure that everyone takes our plates and trays to use as dorm-room dishes or sleds anyway," Bacon said. "So we might as well sell them to the students and raise some money for a great cause."
You can reach this staff writer at lbander@thealbatrossonline.com.
