On Chartwells Replacing Aramark

June 27 -- Chartwells, a division of Compass Group, has been chosen as the replacement to Aramark as a result of Aramark’s contract with WWU expiring. While we are happy to see Aramark go and that Sodexo was not chosen as a replacement, we still have concerns about this new contractor and their checkered past. Our original and primary objection to Aramark was their involvement in the violent United States prison industrial complex. While Compass Group divested from US prisons in 2014, they retain connections to other violent and/or extractive industries. Our preliminary research shows that in addition to education, Compass Group is globally involved in catering for industries such as oil, gas, and mining; and defense. Notably, despite said divestment, Compass Group remains invested in prison systems in Canada and abroad. They and their subsidiary companies have had strings of corruption cases brought against them, and Chartwells has had many controversies regarding food quality, from serving beef products containing horse meat in 2013 to “watermelon chicken salad and single pieces of moldy bread” to quarantining students at NYU. Chartwells replacing Aramark and Sodexo after student outcry follows a pattern among other universities, so this move does not come as a surprise. However, despite potential positive changes at the surface level, the transition to Chartwells does not fix the underlying issues of corporate contracting.

A contract with an outside corporation means we are now tied to a company and all their ethics (investment in military, oil, prisons, capitalism, white supremacy) and morals (greed, exploitation,corruption).  All dining corporations operate to maximize profit, compromising the wellbeing of people and the environment in the process. Students for Self-Operated Dining // Shred the Contract is against ALL OUTSIDE CONTRACTS and contracting companies. We believe that a dining system run by the university is the only way we can achieve a truly just, equitable and sustainable system. Linked here is a document we made last spring 2022 about why a self operated dining system is the best way forward for WWU administration. The motives of contractors are fundamentally irreconcilable with the goal of affordable, safe, and ethical foodways. All dining contractors make their money through the kickback system -- they save money buying cheap and unethically sourced food (think big agribusiness, monocultures, factory farming) and then charge students a premium for sub-par food.

We have not read the new contract language, as the contract is yet to be signed -- we are just sharing what WWU administrators have told us. This new dining contract should bring a better dining experience for students and give WWU admin more oversight over dining operations: from conversations with Leonard Jones, Director of University Residences, we’ve learned that: there will be two positions, funded by Chartwells, but employed and reporting to WWU. There will be allergen-free areas at all of the dining halls. We’ve also learned that there will be a focus on local sourcing and low-waste packaging. Chartwells has promised to bring a biodigester to campus as well. We do not know the length of the contract, but expect 5, 7, or 10 years. There are no expected changes to the food monopoly on campus nor to the working conditions of dining workers. Once the new contract has been signed, we will read it and related documents to help figure out what dining will look like in the fall.

So how do we get to self op from here? Over the next few years, WWU needs to secure funding for the transition. The main reason we didn't get self-op this cycle is because contractors like Compass Group can offer millions of dollars of capital funding, essentially golden handcuffs. Contractors can offer money, delivery robots, biodigesters etc., but those are the shiny toys that contractors use to obscure the fact that their business model precludes safe, ethical food and dining, and agricultural workers' rights. In our work last spring, we hoped to ensure that this contract would be short in length and function as a transition contract, allowing the university to build the capital funding required as well as systems and planning needed for this transition, so that a self operated system could be implemented when this contract runs out. While members of the administration have not made active or public steps toward operating this way, this contract functioning as a transition to a non-corporate, self-operated system is not off the table. The length of this contract has yet to be announced, but will inform our path from here. We know that a transition to self operated dining is still possible.

Students for Self-Op needs help and broad involvement to make this happen. Our coming work will include researching operations of Compass Group, keeping an eye accountability for Chartwells and the University as far as promises made in sustainability and campus equity; strategizing; and information-gathering about the specifics of a path to self-operated from here based on forthcoming details about contract length; publicity; and moving forward with advocacy and organizing. If you are interested in getting involved, send us a DM on Instagram @shredthecontractwwu, email us at shredthecontract@gmail.com, or come to a meeting in the Fall.