There are aspects and adjuncts of university bureaucracy that have earned reputations as unresponsive Leviathans completely unresponsive to student opinion. OASIS, for example, gives students conniptions every semester, and as a general rule, campus organizations and departments tend to offer less information when they should be offering more. Students ask questions or complain, only to be met by a blank wall of indifference. This is a problem so widespread that were it an outbreak of the plague, Vanderbilt would have been declared a federal disaster area long ago.
Dining, however, is a welcome exception. In response to the Jan. 12 “The Rant” and its slurry of dining-related complaints, Director of Dining Services Lida Horna contacted The Hustler. As surreal as it may be to consider campus administrators reading “The Rant,” Horna’s response shows an admirable interest in addressing student concerns. That said, Dining is not, in fact, irritated by having to retrieve iced tea refills, nor do they mind providing sandwiches without oregano upon request.
Even the operation of the campus Varsity Markets is generally beyond reproach. The yellow student comment cards are answered in a timely fashion and the responses are usually prompt, hilarious or both. All manner of student requests are accommodated, save those for truly impractical foodstuffs such as celery or sides of beef or solid gold sandwiches. If a student wants an item, chances are it will be in stock as soon as possible, which is no less than impressive.
Is Dining perfect? Of course it is not. However, it stands head and shoulders above its counterparts in its level of service. Dining’s dedication to the student community should serve as a model to other Vanderbilt institutions. Absolutely every campus institution would benefit from greater transparency and greater responsiveness to student concerns. The first step to greater transparency, however, begins with questions. Campus institutions exist to improve the lives of students; if they are not doing so, it is the right and, indeed, the duty of the Vanderbilt community to ask why.
