Editor-in-Chief

With some CSU Bakersfield students voicing their displeasure to ASI about food on campus, the board discussed during Friday’s University Affairs meeting handing out surveys to students on the food.

The board of directors meeting was canceled because there were no committee reports to bring up.

At the time of the University Affairs meeting, Vice President of University Affairs Anish Mohan said that approximately 100 students had filled out the survey, but they are hoping to get 600 students to do it.

“I don’t think that faculty or (Director of Food Service) David Hveem understands how much students are upset about food,” Mohan said during the meeting. “The reason being is because when these meetings occur, I think he gets a positive feedback, so that’s what these surveys are for.”

From the surveys that were filled out, ASI’s Lower Division Director Jesus Benuelos said students are not happy with choices or prices.

ASI wants to get the surveys done by this spring and get the information to Vice President of Student Affairs Thomas Wallace and President Horace Mitchell before June of this year because that is when the contract with Aramark will end.

“It’s important to get these surveys filled out as fast as possible and get that information as fast as possible,” Mohan said. “If students are unhappy, we’ll at least have something to show (Vice President of Student Affairs Thomas Wallace, President Horace Mitchell and Hveem) before they renew the contract.”

Mohan said after they gather all the information from the students, ASI would sit down with Wallace, Mitchell and Hveem and tell them the students’ side.

“Hopefully, they will see what students want and, like they normally are, be on our side,” Mohan said.

According to ASI President Mike Kwon, CSUB’s decision to renew the contract with Aramark will ultimately go through Mitchell and his cabinet.

Kwon said if the advisory committee feels there have been issues that have not been resolved, then, they would go through Wallace. If Wallace agrees with those issues, then he would bring it up to cabinet and Mitchell and his cabinet will have to consider the costs for taking out Aramark as a whole, just switching the person in charge or keep Hveem and Aramark but under certain stipulations they would follow.

Mohan said it would be between Aramark or Sodexo, which CSUB had before.

Parking fee increase

Kwon said the board will be concluding their discussion on the possible parking fee increase and staff/faculty designated parking on Feb. 24.

He added they will decide on whether to completely reject the fee or propose a fee increase with certain conditions in it.

“It’s either one of those two options and it’s based off the board’s decision via resolution,” Kwon said.

Vacuum filtration system

Mohan said during the meeting that there is a missing vacuum filtration system in the Science I building.

“For two years it has been missing and they have had to use a water filtration system, which apparently uses up a lot of water,” he said.

Mohan said he received a message about this issue from a CSUB student.

The Director of Sustainability Oscar Alvarez decided to take on this issue.

“It’s a little absurd that for that long of time students have not had access to that, and it’s costing them to use water elsewhere,” Alvarez said.

He said as a part of university affairs, it is their duty to do what they can to help.

ASI meets every Friday for its weekly board of directors meeting from 3:15 p.m. to 5 p.m.at the ITV Studio Center C.