Resolution 2023-S13-2004

Introduced on April 24, 2023.

Amended on April 24, 2023 to change Co Sponsors.

Amended on April 24, 2023 for consistency.

Amended on April 24, 2023 to change wording.

Executive Ordered on April 24, 2023.

Result: Passed on April 24, 2023.

N/A

To Relevant UIC Offices,
We have been recently notified that the Dining Hall RFP is being extended for another year,
which allows for more consideration to include the voice of the students, who are ultimately the biggest
stakeholders, in the decision-making. During this past year, the Undergraduate Student Government has
been advocating for more support to address student food insecurity, support for student organizations,
and accommodate the dietary needs of students through inclusive food options and make UIC a safer and
more welcoming space.

Last semester, the Undergraduate Student Government worked with Dining Services to include
640 meal swipes for students in need annually, in addition to $300 catering credit for student
organizations (up to $60,000). While 640 meal swipes are an important step toward addressing food
insecurity, the meals provided would only help a fraction of students who could utilize the support.
According to a study conducted by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice in October
2021, 38% of college students faced food insecurity with Black and Latine students more likely to
experience food and housing insecurity
1
. Therefore, in order to increase the number of meal swipes
provided to food-insecure students, the Undergraduate Student Government requests the
establishment of a Meal Swipe Donation Program, similar to that of the University of Iowa’s
“Hawkeye Meal Share” Program, which allows students to donate unused dining hall swipes to
students in need.

In addition, this past year, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), the newly formed
Muslim Chaplaincy at UIC (MCUIC), and the Muslim Student Association (MSA) coordinated resources
and made efforts to assess the availability of halal options on campus and appropriate vendors for Muslim
students to utilize. USG has discovered through channels such as the USG Diversity & Inclusion Town
Hall that there is a gap in the current offerings made by existing vendors to accommodate halal dietary
needs. Furthermore, a survey was conducted in order to ascertain the needs of the Muslim student
population on campus. This survey of 375 students revealed that all respondents needed more zabiha halal
options on campus. Approximately 95% of students reported not knowing who the dining hall’s halal food
supplier is, and due to shared sentiments surrounding a lack of trust for the halal meat supplier, cross
contamination concerns, and limited halal choices, 98.3% of the 249 respondents who eat at the dining
hall rarely or never choose the halal options at the dining hall, if and when they are available.
Due to a lack of overall transparency, it is evident from the survey results that the Muslim student
community holds justifiable uncertainty and skepticism in the dining services at UIC. This is a result of
students not knowing what type of halal certification is used by the dining halal’s meat supplier, and

whether the meat is only halal or zabiha halal. Therefore, in order to ensure UIC has a variety of
options to fulfill the needs of students, the Undergraduate Student Government requests that the
UIC administration considers the diverse dietary needs of students in their evaluation matrix by
including more zabiha halal options and adopting the practice of displaying halal certifications in
the dining hall and other restaurants on campus that offer halal options. To strengthen the
certification, the Undergraduate Student Government recommends that the current certification be
expanded to be approved by local certifying organizations such as HFSAA.
Throughout this academic year, students have expressed concern about the need for more diverse
vendor options on campus. One specific vendor that has been the subject of criticism is Chick-Fil-A, due
to its past donations to organizations that are viewed as anti-LGBTQ+. While Chick-Fil-A has made
recent efforts to support LGBTQ+ causes and organizations, the company has not released a statement
condemning these actions and it is crucial to ensure that all members of our community feel heard and
valued. Therefore, the Undergraduate Student Government is requesting that the UIC
administration do ample and extensive public outreach to hear the opinions of all students and their
dining preferences. This will provide a strategic opportunity to address the concerns raised by and ensure
that all students feel welcome and supported on campus.
As the Dining Services RFP is extended for another year, we look forward to working with the
UIC administration and relevant decision-makers to commit to the needs of the biggest stakeholders on
campus: UIC students.
Sincerely,
The Undergraduate Student Government