Daniel Uria/Staff Writer
A large part of the college experience comes from participating in campus events. These events are created to allow students to mingle with their peers, as well as professors, staff and special speakers.
On Biscayne Bay Campus, however, there have been repeated incidents of individuals taking advantage of these events to simply grab a free meal.
Steven V. Moll, Vice Provost of BBC, addressed the issue in a memo addressed to the Biscayne Bay Campus Community.
“BBC’s Campus Life does an excellent job of organizing student activities and welcoming faculty and staff to participate at these events. However, it has come to my attention that their generosity is being abused by staff taking advantage of the availability of free food. Examples of individuals taking plates of food away to their offices have been cited on more than one occasion. I take these incidents seriously,” Moll said.
Moll believes that since students fund these events, they should be served before members of the university staff.
“The food is for the students,” he said. “The food is paid for by the students. Technically, I would imagine legally, it’s only for the students.”
While he did stress that the food provided at these events is clearly intended for and funded by the students, Moll condemns the idea of individuals slinking off with plates of food, while not fulfilling their responsibility to the University atmosphere.
“If you want to have this student lunch, that is paid for by the students, then sit down and have it with them,” he said. “The reason we’re here is because of students. If people who are university employees are going to partake of [the food], they should at least stay and talk to the students,” he said.
When asked what is being done to crack down on this issue Moll simply said, “we’re watching.”
However, his hope is not to create an atmosphere where professors, speakers or other staff are forbidden from grabbing a bite to eat at a student event.
“This is not a totalitarian regime,” he said. Moll’s point is to encourage those staff members to actively participate in the event, engage themselves with the students and ultimately thank the students for holding the event.
“For those who say thank you, continue doing that,” he explained. “And for those that are taking advantage, stop.”
Moll described an event that fit his idea of what a student event at the Biscayne Bay Campus should look like, citing a recent Get Your Career in Gear day this past Spring Semester.
“We had the panelists sit at different tables, no more than two of the panelists at any table, so that the students got to mingle and mix with these people,” said Moll.
He went on to say that the feedback from students following the event was overwhelmingly positive. With students gushing about the opportunity to “rub elbows” with the guest speakers and ultimately “become buddies.”
“And that’s what we want at these student events.” Moll said.