Joel Solis/The Collegian
NINA BANKS & HOPE SMITH
campus editors
A week before classes started, TCC announced in an email students no longer had a food service option.
This decision came five months after Genuine Foods became the new provider for TCC. The email only said this change occurred due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
The change caused students and staff to say they feel worried about whether food options would be available to them.
Each campus has experienced the removal of Genuine Foods, with only TR Campus containing Riverfront Cafe and Trinity Brews. For NW student Yulianna Paredes, she fears for the students who rely on the food service.
“Definitely for other students it can be an issue going to class before snacking,” Paredes said. “I imagine it’s not very good of them. For them it would have been their only source of food. They could have given some sort of timeline rather than pulling out last minute.”
Prior to the Jan. 12 email, students received no warning or prior notice that the food vendor may no longer be available. NW student Eric Arredondo said he wished there was more communication on that aspect for students.
“There should have been better communication with both sides. They didn’t just let one party down, they let students down,”Arredondo said.
For an anonymous staff member, it became a concern of accessibility for students and lack of communication.
“The announcement was very quick,” They said. “There’s always the two weeks of inservice before semester, there’s a week of inservice for staff, and then a week for staff and faculty when the semester starts.”
Besides the lack of communication, staff members also lost time to get their own meals.
“We’re used to knowing when the cafe is open, just because there’s no students so usually they have reduced hours, they’ll have some hours for faculty and staff to get something to eat,” they said.
NW student and student assistant Arya Carafna believes the communication between administration and students was not satisfactory.
“The cafeteria was very useful and I do wish there was a bit more of a further notice on it because I only found out because I work here,” Carafna said. “There’s a lot of students who I believe did not get an email because I didn’t get an email about it. It was one of my coworkers who got an email about it because they work full time and then they told me about it.”
However, to some students the food was not adequate and did not enjoy the environment, citing inconsistent portion sizes and unfavorable prices. Instead, they solicited the bookstore, vending machines or outside sources for food options.
TCC anticipates a new vendor by the end of spring break, and until then all campuses, except TR, which includes two food options, can access food options via vending machines, campus smart markets and bookstores.
