University of Rhode Island students expressed concerns about comments made by Dining Services Director Pierre St-Germain in a recent article published by The Good Five Cent Cigar.

St-Germain’s comment, “We feed our students, so there’s always an option of actually working for your meal” sparked discussion among students online. 

Students put up posters in the 193 Coffeehouse labeled “Students Shouldn’t Have to Work For Their Meal” with a QR code leading to a petition to denounce St-Germain’s comments. 

The student senate passed a resolution addressing comments made by St-Germain in a recent article published by The Good Five Cent Cigar. The senate discussion included concerns about students who live off campus and use dining dollars for additional food. 

“I feel as though the comments are very inconsiderate, given that students are paying for their tuition and the dining dollars are really coming out of that,” second-year student Cathiana Calixte said. 

Students should have authority over how they spend their dining dollars, especially when purchasing food that can be saved and eaten outside the dining hall, according to Calixte. 

“They shouldn’t be able to dictate what students do and do not spend their money on, especially for like frozen or canned goods,” Calixte said. 

Some students rely on dining dollars to purchase frozen and canned goods because they do not have unlimited access to dining halls, according to Calixte.

“I think that it really shouldn’t be happening,” First-year student Declan Keenan said. “People need to be able to buy the stuff with the money they’ve already put into being able to buy those things.” 

First-year student Samantha Cassimore said that the comments were insensitive to those who are financially responsible for paying for their schooling themselves. 

“I feel like they’re really insensitive to the fact that I’m paying an arm and a leg to go to the school, and I can’t even use my dining dollars wherever I want them,” Cassimore said.

On Monday, St-Germain sent an email to meal plan holders addressing the concerns about URI dining and outlining changes made to Dining Services.

“I also want to acknowledge that we did not communicate these changes as effectively as we should have prior to the start of the semester,” St-Germain wrote.

He also addressed concerns about food insecurity among students.

“More importantly, when questions and concerns were raised, I did not adequately recognize the very real challenges some of our students face with food insecurity,” St-Germain wrote.

Dining Services recognized the importance of clear communication in terms of which items are eligible for purchase with Dining Dollars and would continue working to improve communication, according to St-Germain.

For the future, dining services will look over residential dining menus and begin a broader review of URI’s meal plan structure, according to St-Germain. 

“Most importantly, we want to hear from you,” St-Germain wrote. “Student feedback is an important part of how we evaluate our services and identify opportunities for improvement.”