Official Statement on Aramark

Dear Hamline Community,

The Hamline Undergraduate Student Congress (HUSC) Executive Board 2020-2021 calls on the Hamline University Administration to publicly announce that they will not renew their food service contract with Aramark in 2024. On June 28th, 2020, an Instagram account (@sfs.national) posted an infographic highlighting “The Truth About Campus Dining.” In the post, Aramark was called out for their unethical practices. By holding a contract with Aramark, Hamline is complicit with its practices, and our money is going towards a company that does not hold Hamline University’s same values.

The HUSC executive team, along with Hamline University administrators, received several emails from students and alumni asking that we terminate our Aramark contract. In response, our HUSC executive team held a community discussion which led to us hosting a series resolution writing sessions. While our team agrees that our partnership with Aramark should no longer exist, we understand the need for an extensive and thoughtful review of an internal food service as we move to end our contract with Aramark. This fall, we hope to pass a resolution stating our expectations for the Hamline University Administration in our final four years of our Aramark contract.

In the meantime, our executive team supports and encourages all Hamline University student organizations to join us in boycotting Aramark’s catering services. Our team commits to working with individuals and student organizations to find more sustainable, locally run, and BIPOC owned food sources for their meetings and events. If you have any questions, ideas, or want more information about Aramark as an organization, please email husc@hamline.edu.

We recognize the importance of food stability and know that food instability is more apparent than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We encourage Hamline students to utilize the on-campus Food Resource Center ( foodaccess@hamline.edu) or reach out to the offices listed below for assistance:

• Hedgeman Center for Student Diversity Initiatives: hedgeman@hamline.edu

• Wesley Center: wesleycenter@hamline.edu

• Dean of Students: deanofstudents@hamline.edu

• Office of Inclusive Excellence: hofficeofinclusiveexcellence01@hamline.edu

• Health and Counseling Services: counselinghealth@hamline.edu

• Hamline Undergraduate Student Congress: husc@hamline.edu

• The HUSC Executive Board