Pissed Off Pokes (aka The POP): Dining Inclusivity

Did you know you can opt out of a campus meal plan if you have a food allergy? The Stuff OSU Should Know team sampled student opinions and feelings about the inclusivity of dining options on OSU campus, and common complaints were about the lack of viable eating spots for people with food allergies and other dietary restrictions (e.g., gluten- or dairy-free). Hours of operation and long wait times were also mentioned. In this episode Aubree, Shea, and Julianna offer advice on how to navigate eating well on OSU campus based on your dietary preferences and needs.

Visit the Stuff OSU Should Know homepage to browse previously released podcasts!

Transcript

Stuff OSU Should Know

SEASON 7 EPISODE 4: The “POP”

Produced and Released Fall 2023

(8:27)

Cast

Aubree Godwin

Julianna Rizzo

Shea Robertson

[Intro] Welcome to OSU’s Pissed Off Pokes AKA The P.O.P. I'm one of your hosts, Christian Schrader and this is the podcast where we ask you guys what's got you pissed off today? Get that popcorn ready because you are listening to the P.O.P.

[Julianna]: Hi guys, welcome back to The P.O.P. Today, we're going to be interviewing people and discussing issues about OSU dining. What can OSU do to improve their food inclusivity like dietary restrictions, cultural foods all that?

[Student]: “Yeah I have a problem finding dairy free stuff so I think having more dairy free options would be useful”.  

[Student]: I know I’ve had a lot of friends who spend money on meal plans and they can't eat anything because there's no options for them on campus.

[Student]: I would like more options for those who have food restrictions. I have a lot of friends they're like well I only have one place to eat because that's the only place that goes to my food allergy.

[Julianna]: What pisses you off about OSU dining? 

[Student]: no gluten free options.

[Julianna]: What food options do you want to see on campus?

[Student]: gluten free.

[Julianna]: How can OSU improve their food diversity?

[Student]: Pay more attention to students with food allergies because well there's a lot of people with food allergies.

[Julianna]: Do you think it's fair that people with food allergies who don't have options on campus should have to buy a meal plan?

[Student]: No, I don't think it's fair.

[Aubrey]: Hi guys, welcome back to the P.O.P! First, I'm going to introduce all of us around here, my name is Aubrey Godwin.

[Shea]: I'm Shea Robertson.

[Juliana]: I'm Juliana Rizzo.

[Aubrey]: And today on The P.O.P. we're going to be talking about the food plans and meal plans whatever you want to call them here Oklahoma State and your concerns for each of them and what we can do to make them better and how OK State can strive for a better food options and for people with allergies, this is pretty much anything underneath that circle. And here's Juliana for the content.

[Juliana]: Hi guys, so one of the main issues that we saw was that Oklahoma State does not accommodate for any food allergies like dairy gluten and all that stuff, so we came up with some solutions and there is a form on the website somewhere. We haven't found it, but we know it's there that you can opt out of buying a meal plan as a freshman if you have a certain allergy and you can prove that you have a certain allergy that way your money isn't going to waste by just not having food accessible to you, but we do know that it’s not the option that people are hoping for but what we can do as a community at OSU is just talk to and keep emailing and keep petitioning to have OSU add in some gluten free and dairy free options.

[Shea]:Hey guys this is Shea, I just wanted to speak a little personally on the like allergies issue it is very feasible for us to not have to pay thousands of dollars or add that on to our tuition with like the bronze or like the medallion or whatever meal plans they do require like the lowest meal plan but that's for on campus and off campus students but that's just in case you run into some trouble but if you do fill out the form and you do have documentation that you have an allergy they will not make you have like an on campus meal plan.

[Juliana]: What pisses you off about OU dining?

[Student]: Sometimes the lines take a while.

[Juliana]: Alright what food options do you want to see on campus?

[Student]: Maybe something like healthier options some of them aren't great.

[Juliana]: What food options do you want to see on campus?

[Student]: More treats

[Juliana]: Alright, and then how can OSU improve their food diversity?

[Student]: Less treats…OK actually no, I'm serious about this we need food that doesn't suck food that meets nutritional quality.

[Juliana]: Hi what pisses you off about OSU dining?

[Student]: Sometimes the wait, it's a little infuriating especially around lunchtime like I get it it's busy, but the waits are crazy and some people are just standing there I don't know it's a little infuriating. 

[Juliana]: This is completely fair, what food options do you want to see on campus?

[Student]: That's a really good question. I don't know, I feel like some more diverse options like I get it we have Passport and we have the Italian place but like I feel like there should be more given in the union and not off campus cause that's a little difficult because I live off campus and it's frustrating having to deal with that.

[Juliana]: Do you think that improving the diversity of food as in different cultures would also help with dietary restrictions? 

[Student]: Yeah, I definitely think that, for an example like Mediterranean food really really good for you super super healthy you just don't really see stuff like that on campus though.

[Aubrey]: Hi guys I'm back this is Aubrey Godwin and I just wanted to tackle the conversation of healthier options at Oklahoma State university obviously there's not that many but there are some ways to get around it around it and one of those ways is to buy some of your groceries from the 20 something there's some things there that are healthy not a lot but there is still some that you can use to make a healthier option. Also I know in North Dining there is a place called The Natural and they have many things that are gluten free and just healthier options that are really good and they taste good and so if you live around there or if you just want to make the walk for the help to have a healthy meal then I would suggest to go there but other than that I don't really know anywhere else that has healthy food.

[Juliana]: So, what pisses you off about OSU dining?

[Student]: The lack of hours available to get food.

[Juliana]: All right next up on the list is the hours of the dining halls. Now there are like three places I know of that are open past 3:00 PM and that is everywhere in North Dining and then Chick-fil-A but I understand not wanting to eat there every single day because it gets very old very fast one solution to this is the same as the healthier options just buy the groceries from 20 something you need in your dorm, but what Oklahoma State as a school can do is make these places stay open a little bit later which will ultimately create more jobs on campus and the students will stop complaining that the dining is never open when they need it to be actually open.

[Juliana]: Alright what pisses you off about OU dining?

[Student]: I feel like all of the places to eat are really far away from like where I lived on campus and Stout.

[Juliana]: Oh my gosh I felt that so hard. Anyways what food options do you want to see on campus?

[Student]: Um I don't know if I have anything like specifically in mind just like more places closer to where I live.

[Shay]: Hey guys it's Shay, and I'm back with another topic and I'm just going to give a little bit of insight on the distance from the buildings to like other buildings on the campus. Umm listen we go to a D1 school it's not that bad and we have scooters and buses and transportation that the wonderful OK State campus provides us that we should all utilize umm is it is it terrible to walk 5 to 10 minutes to like get across campus yes it is but there are ways around it and we can utilize those things also all of us. Just wanted to add in a little tidbit that we believe that Oklahoma State should provide a sweet treat place all of us kind of have a sweet tooth for the most part and there needs to be some kind of restaurant and or cafe implemented with desserts and that concludes the first episode of The P.O.P hashtag stay pissed off!

[Outro Music]