In an effort to reduce the Dining deficit, University officials ended the faculty and staff 10 percent discount at on-campus eateries Aug. 1.
At the end of last academic year, Duke Dining was faced with a $2.2 million deficit, which resulted in a series of meetings between University officials and Duke Student Government members. The termination of the discount is one of several measures Dining is implementing to reduce its current deficit.
“It’s a way [to save money], but I think they don’t cater enough to the workers on campus,” said Charles Gooch, chief steward for East Campus and vice president of Local 77, which represents union workers.
The deficit accrued during the 2007 transition from former caterer ARAMARK Corp. to Bon Appétit Management Company.
Faculty and staff contribute 12 to 15 percent of Dining sales, estimated Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst. He added that the end of the 10 percent discount is expected to save the University $50,000 to $75,000.
When making budget decisions, University officials put students first, said Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta.
“There have been reforms and there will continue to be reforms, but our priority is to not affect the student experience—undergraduate or graduate—and that’s going to be our highest priority in everything we do,” Moneta said.
But students have been somewhat affected by the Dining deficit, as well. Other changes made to Dining include an increase of the contract fee to $90—up from $19.50 last year—for the 2010-2011 academic year.
“As far as I’m concerned, that discount discontinuation was a victory for [students] because it leveled the playing field and lessened the burden the students had to bear,” said Duke Student Government President Mike Lefevre, a senior. “This is a pretty fair trade. [Students] pay extra up front and [employees] pay the same as us at the register,” he added.
The loss of the employee discount, which had been in effect for 15 years, may discourage employees from buying food on campus altogether, Gooch said. Currently, it is rare to see workers receiving small salaries eating in campus venues, he added.
“You don’t see too many workers coming [to the Marketplace] to eat—workers can’t afford to eat here,” Gooch said.
Moneta said it is too soon to tell how the discount will affect food sales. He added, however, that he is confident that pricing specials at certain venues will contribute to the success of University eateries.
“Regardless of our current condition, our intent is further improvement—we will always look for ways to improve the dining experience for employees at Duke,” Moneta said.
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