During Passover of 2006, the university attempted to provide kosher-style food to students but botched the plan by including bread products in the menu. In years prior, on-campus students with Jewish beliefs were left with few options in dining halls, period.
This year, Dining will again try to incorporate Passover-friendly food into its menu with the help of a knowledgeable authority - students.
Ball State University Dining is working with Hillel, the Jewish student organization, to ensure on-campus students have options when Passover arrives in early April. This collaborative effort not only helps ensure pleasant eating for Jewish students, but it also is a step in improving multicultural awareness on campus.
Culture is a broad term by any definition. In a generally open-minded college environment, we are still quick to classify culture as a demographic. We limit a vast world of language, heritage, dance and food to the skin-color classifications we find in standardized tests and surveys.
As people, as a world, we are so much more than that.
The subtle comforts of home escape us when we move to college. There are nights we long not for overprotective parental supervision, but rather for the warm meals, the familiar places, the comforting aromas of home. For visiting international students and those with strong ties to their roots, these seemingly petty matters can mean a world of difference - literally.
Dining made a wise move in its decision to attempt a kosher-style menu for Passover in 2006, and it made an even brighter move to have an on-campus student group help coordinate the plans for 2007. In the interest of students from all cultural backgrounds, Dining should continue examining its menus so it can supply a variety of flavors and products from around the globe.
For students with dietary or religious restrictions, it's critical for the university to provide alternatives to traditional meals. From those of Jewish faith during Passover to Catholics during Lent, religion affects eating habits, and students should be pleased Dining recognizes those needs.
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