Sexual Harrasment

T.J. Awad,

 Lauren Calton,

 Logan Miller,

Terra Sheppard.

                                                                                Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual contact from someone else. A lot of times, sexual harassment goes unnoticed. This is because people may think it’s a form of flirting or just playing around. But when does playing around cross the line?  A lot of time sexual harassment goes unknown or just thrown under the rug. The results of the Gallup’s annual Crime Survey, conducted in 2014, found that 37%, of U.S. adults say they would not feel safe walking alone near their home at night. By gender, 45%, of women said they do not feel safe walking alone at night, compared with 27% of men.  This can display that women have a more of sexual harassment than men. Even though, Sexual harassment does not just apply to a specific gender. 

Emily Caputo is the title nine coordinator at Frostburg State University. She states that sexual harassment doesn’t have to have a specific place or setting. “Sexual Harassment happens in the workplace all the time” Says Emily Caputo. She always states about that even if you that you feel that you were sexually harassed, you should report it. The reason that Emily took the title nine position at Frostburg was because a lot of students went up to her and said that they felt like they weren’t being heard. In the Gallup’s crime survey, it stated that 45% of women do not feel safe walking alone. A lot of times women have fear of getting attacked because they seem like an easy target. But what if they weren’t at a party. What if a women was with her friends at a party? Would they still have that level of fear? The answer for most would be no.

Most women feel comfortable at parties and just want to have a nice time. “I would never feel uncomfortable at a party because I’m surrounded by people that I know” says Alexi Adkins. The problem on college campuses is that sexual harassment happens a lot at parties and it goes unknown. If a guy smacks a women’s butt and she says stop, he should stop. If he smiles and continues, that is considered sexual harassment. A lot of women don’t know what to do in a situation when they are being sexual harassed. Women usually think that they can’t report sexual harassment unless they were actually rape. The truth is that any type of harassment is crime. Something I found interesting in my research was that men think that women want to be approach if they drees or act a certain. Does body language play a factor in sexual harassment? Of course it does. People feed off of body language to make a valuable judgement in their mind. Both males and females find people with available body language the most attractive. Available body language is smiling, uncrossed arms, uncrossed legs and upward gazing (not looking down at shoes or phones). “If a girl looks open and she’s smiling and flirting, it hard to differentiate if she is uncomfortable or not” Says Tavon Wilson.

From 1990 to 2009, the percentage of sexual harassment claims filed by men has doubled from 8 percent to 16 percent of all claims, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Women still file the overwhelming majority of sexual harassment claims with the EEOC and state and local agencies. But lawyers at the commission say they’ve noticed the increase in complaints by men — more than 2,000 were filed in 2009 out of about 12,700 cases. Men get sexually harassed in the workplace often but a lot the time they are afraid to speak. That deals with the fear of being emasculated. Men and women have the same thing in common in terms of speaking up, that thing fear. Whether it’s the fear of seeing like a prostitute or whether it’s the fear of being weak. Everyone wants to keep their dignity and reputation. That is a big factor that stands in the way of a lot of people speaking up for themselves. It’s sad that a lot of people will just deal with sexual harassment rather that speaking up due to self to self-pride. But on the other hand, having a clean reputation goes a long way in society.  Reputation is specifically valuable in school and the workplace. You are constantly working with other people and their opinions matter. Most people want to be liked by other people. Nobody wants someone to have negative thoughts about them. No one wants to feel uncomfortable when they step outside their homes. Plus you have to go through the process of talking to the police and that can uncomfortable to people. The police will ask the victim uncomfortable question and the victim might feel ridiculous by answering them.

In conclusion, Sexual harassment isn’t something to take lightly. Sexual harassment is a real thing that requires support and help from other people. People shouldn’t be afraid to speak up and tell the truth. Fear is something that holds us back from our truth. The truth is that nobody should go through sexual harassment. A people should always believe the victim who claims he or she has been sexual harassed. Also the victims should have a right to a fair case. Nobody should be pushed to the side if they have a complaint of harassment. The workplace should be a safe area for people to come and work amongst others. People should have to feel scared to do their jobs. At parties, people should be able to go out and have a good time without having to feel uncomfortable. Also the gender barrier needs to be broken when it comes to sexual harassment. Men has fear just as much as women, when it comes to speaking up and self-pride. Statistically, the embarrassment for men is far greater than with women. Lastly, everyone deserves a chance to be heard.

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uccExOPMrI

Sexual Harassment, Guys vs. Girls

http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/resources/statistics/statistics-academic-studies/

This article deals with the statistics of street harassment in the U.S. between men and women.

http://www.scienceofpeople.com/2013/07/body-language-of-attraction/

This article displays how body language can create a factor in people’s actions.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/4/more-men-file-workplace-sexual-harassment-claims/

This article displays sexual harassment that involves men.

College Tuition : What's the deal?

Main

College tuition is one of the biggest concerns for upperclassmen in high school as they begin to think about life after high school. The cost of attending a four year university has been consistently rising in recent years. At Frostburg State University costs have risen but students are beginning to wonder how the school cost so much more when not much has changed.

As of 2015 there are 4,915 students in undergraduate studies at Frostburg State University. Frostburg State Admissions said,  “Total enrollment at FSU is 5,756, 111 students, or 2 percent, greater than in the fall of 2014. Total undergraduate enrollment is 4,961, compared to 4,915 in 2015, a difference of 46 students, or 1 percent. Over the past decade, undergraduate enrollment has grown by 15 percent, from 4,321 in 2005” (2015). Those students all have to do one thing of course besides getting education and that is paying bills and fees. This link http://www.frostburg.edu/ungrad/admiss/#cost estimates the costs to attend Frostburg State University as an undergraduate. This link breaks down the lump sum that you pay to the school into groups. This video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-IuFSt5xWA explains the rising cost of college tuition and what the money is spent on. We all know of course students have to pay tuition and housing, that’s a given but what about the other fees the students don’t pay attention too? Where does the money go? Do a lot of students know that they are paying for stuff that they don’t even use? Did you know that there is a 700 dollar transportation fee? Yes, there are students who are wondering, “What do you mean transportation fee?” It could mean that it covers the transit buses that go around campus and towns, the shuttle vans that work Saferide on the weekends, or the shuttles that take students from Edgewood Commons to campus. Here is a table that displays group by group where Frostburg State University’s tuition money is “supposedly” going towards. 

Mandatory Fees	1st Semester	2nd Semester	Total
Technology Fee	$88	$88	$176
Activities Fee	$158	$158	$316
Athletic Fee	$461	$461	$922
Auxiliary Facilities Fee	$270	$270	$540
Student Union Operating Fee	$171	$171	$342
Sustainability Fee	$15	$15	$30
Transportation Fee	$18	$18	$36
Total Fees	$1181	$1181	$2362

Technology would probably go under computer labs and library use, but there unknown weird fees like the auxiliary facilities fee, sustainability fee and even athletic fee. It has been said a lot of Frostburg State University students feel as if their tuition dollars are not being used in a manner that parallels the values of students on an individual basis. Some of the changes are quite clear if students would pay attention. For example, a student parking lot has been torn down to make a public safety center leaving limited spots for students to park. However, if a student parks somewhere or some time on campus they are not supposed to they will be ticketed. There have also been sightings of the new Frostburg State University Police vehicles. Two years ago in 2014 Frostburg State Police officers patrolled the campus and neighboring student housing in SUV’s now the ride around in Dodge Chargers. In case you didn’t know Dodge Chargers price assuming that the police vehicles are 2015 are starting at 27,995. The question to take home is, “Why are Frostburg students paying these fees?”  If the fee in question has no relevance or benefit to them. Frostburg State University students are not only angry but they are curious. They want an answer. Why should a regular student who does not participate in any athletics or activities following under it have to pay a fee for it? Are these fees for the good of the students or the university? Frostburg senior Kayla Johnson 22 said “"I feel that sometimes my money goes to waste on extra fees towards the school. I do not use the game room, and typically do not attend most on campus events because of my schedule and major. It is really hard to spend this kind of money on these fees when I do not benefit from these services. I think fees should be individualized based on students. For example if you are an athlete then you should have to pay a fee for that. If you do not personally benefit from these fees OR could possibly benefit from these things you should not have to pay for it. A new locker room, or team bus for sport teams should not come out of my wallet."  Another senior Megan Phillips said, “A new police station when there is a perfectly good one shouldn’t come out of my wallet either. Especially when it takes away the biggest student parking on campus….” Frostburg State University students have made their voices heard. They would like to know where there money is going, and they would like their money to benefit them and the resources they use. So in order to find out why the students are paying these fees Frostburg students would have to go to the billing office.

The billing office is proclaimed to be busy this time of the year. They seem to be reluctant to speak to writers with regards to specifics of where certain fees go and why they are necessary. On the other side of the coin, it could be seen as beneficial by being able to access any of these facilities on campus without needing anything more than student identification.  Barbara Feldman is the provost at Bridgewater State University. She is also a candidate for the provost job at Frostburg State University. Mrs. Feldman said this with regards to some of the fees implemented at college, "We also need to spend time on Revenue generation we can’t just keep raising money on the backs of our students via more and more student fees." Students can use things like Frostburg State University’s weight room or rock climbing wall for free.

Figure 1 Sporting events such as a Men's Basketball home game is an example of something students can attend for no charge

Figure 2 Frostburg State University's cheerleaders in their new locker room

Figure 3 The rock climbing wall inside the Physical Education Center which is free to use for students

Now someone who is pro-fees may claim that the school needs the money from these fees. That will be the next thing tackled. You can see in the photograph below that tuition & fees make up for 32.7% of the school’s revenue. This is the second biggest form of revenue behind the state appropriations. This link http://www.frostburg.edu/budget/budget-resources/budget-graphs/ has not only the revenue graph which shows what the school spends their money on. The largest portion of that is instruction. This link provides a good opportunity for students to see on a grand scale where their money, the state’s money, and other monetary revenues are spent.

Figure 4 Frostburg State University's revenue for the 2017 fiscal year.










Side Bar Story


Paying tuition and fees is something every college student has to deal with. Then there are all the mandatory charges rolled into the published “tuition and fees,” including a slew of secondarily named fees for costs that used to be covered by tuition. I speculate these fees go mainly toward faculty recruitment and salaries. Athletic fees, technology fees, lab fees and even transportation fees. For a student who for uses school computers, takes a science requirement the use of labs and frequently uses the school buses, they will have no problem paying these fees. However, for others who barely go to the gym, or barely use the school transportation, I have to ask why they are required to pay such fees. It is already bad enough as college students to deal with the major expenses that come with earning a degree. Paying for services that one does not utilize is not pleasant to my ears. Taking our school, Frostburg State University as an example. Below is a list of mandatory fees 

Tuition - full time (12 credit or more)		1st Semester	2nd Semester	Total
Maryland Residents		$3170	$3170	$6340
Out-of-state Residents		$9432	$9432	$18864
Regional Residents*		$7050	$7050	$14100
Mandatory Fees
Technology Fee		$88	$88	$176
Activities Fee		$158	$158	$316
Athletic Fee		$461	$461	$922
Auxiliary Facilities Fee		$270	$270	$540
Student Union Operating Fee		$171	$171	$342
Sustainability Fee		$15	$15	$30
Transportation Fee		$18	$18	$36
Total Fees		$1181	$1181	$2362

Of all these mandatory fees, the ones I really utilize or I think applies to me are really the technology and activates fees. The rest of the fees totaling about $900 is wasted money in my eyes and in the eyes of many other students who do not use these services.  
“I feel that sometimes my money goes to waste on extra fees towards the school. I do not use the game room, and typically do not attend most on campus events because of my schedule and major. It is really hard to spend this kind of money on these fees when I do not benefit from these services. I think fees should be individualized based on students. For example, if you are an athlete then you should have to pay a fee for that. If you do not personally benefit from these fees OR could possibly benefit from these things you should not have to pay for it. A new locker room, or team bus for sport teams should not come out of my wallet." says an undergraduate student
Instead of charging students for services they may or may not use, I think colleges, Frostburg state university included, should develop some sort of card or ID system. Students should have an option to choose the services they will be utilizing and pay for those services. For example, students that will be using the school transportation should get a bus pass or a gym pass. This will indeed save the rest of students lots of money. 

Unrest and Divide: Donald Trump's Win and the Repercussions that Ensue

Following this years presidential election results, divisions have risen thorough the country. Locally, at Frostburg State University, students have expressed disbelief and support of the results of this year’s election. A day after the results students took to Twitter to voice their dismay with the president’s lack of action taken towards the vandalism around campus.  

As more and more “Trump 2016” writing showed up around campus, students were disappointed in the delayed actions taken by the campus authorities to remove the vandalism. Comparisons were made to the prompt removal of the Black Lives Matter display, and soon the hashtag “Does Frostburg Care” was trending on Twitter amongst upset college students.  

On the 14^th of November the Black Student Alliance hosted a Black Lives Matter Forum. Terra Shepard was in attendance, as well as the president of FSU. Sheppard noted that the provided reasoning for the hasty removal of the Black Lives Matter words was because of the promptness that it was brought to the President’s attention. To this Terra stated, “People are really skeptical of what was going on.” She continued to comment that it’s a possibility that the president is “ignoring” the ongoing vandalism. With the language and tactics used in this years election Sheppard feels that with Trump’s victory his supporter have started to show their “true colors” creating an unsafe environment for her and others. “I feel like this place never was safe,” Sheppard reflected. Also in attendance at the forum was speaker Rasheed Ali Cromwell who is a part of a consulting firm based in DC called The Harbor Institute. On their website the Harbor institute define themselves as an “educational consulting firm” that empowers students and administration alike. Cromwell spoke on the Black Lives Matter movement. He assured the BSA audience that BLM is legitimate organization with people actively working behind it and its purpose was not to incite hatred or violence. On his veiws Sheppard stated, “He said that when we feel strongly about something we should protest."      

Craig Hampton, the executive vice president of Black Student Alliance (BSA) was in attendance when BSA held the Black Lives Matter (BLM) meeting on Nov 14th, 2016 at 7pm in CCIT, shed light on the meeting objective, the speaker and the issues discussed in the meeting. The speaker was Rasheed Ali Cromwell, he spoke on the three levels of racism; he broke them down into individual racism, institutional racism and structural racism. When asked how did you feel about the BLM meeting, his response was "great, there was a large turnout, I was especially surprised to see how many members of administration came out, the President of the University was there and the fraternity RLO." Cromwell's objective for this meeting was to explain the confusion about the BLM movement and the organization—he wanted to shed light on the difference between protests and riots. Students were allowed to make statements and ask questions; a lot of people wanted to address the Fatboy's racism topic and how they would kick out black students even if they were paying customers. These frustrations and concerns brought on the idea of a protest against Fatboy's on December 3^rd, 2016 lead by the fraternity against prejudice. In light of the election there were no talks of Trump becoming president—but there were questions addressed to President Ronald Nowacyzk about why the TRUMP writing wasn't as quickly taken care of as the Black Lives Matter writing around campus was power washed off.  

As things escalated with washing chalk off of buildings more and more people were coming out to support the efforts of Jay and other students.  Student reporter Melani Finney had a chance to interview Kevin Akindana who was there for support as a representative of BSA.

Melani: I wanted to ask what that like was for you to see something like that. 

Kevin: “It’s disappointing the campus and country for that matter has decayed this badly. The fact that the school is quick to remove positive spray immediately but can leave the walls of Compton to say Trump for a couple of days just shows haw backwards things are.” 

Melani: Did you say anything to the guys that were washing the words away? Did they say anything to you? 

Kevin: “Not really. They didn’t look too inviting” 

Melani: I can imagine. Were you one of the people that BLM near echo circle? 

Kevin: “No. I didn’t write anything, I was just there to be a representative of BSA” 

Melani: Okay, Thanks Kevin.  

While many saw this win as foreboding of bad times to come, College Republican vice president Casimir Wager sees a different future. During the final College Republican’s Club meeting of the semester, members were chanting Trump’s name in celebration of his win. “As time has progressed democracy is looking weaker and weaker,” Wagner continued, “ Since the proliferation of the Internet, there’s been a lot of people who simply will not excepts the results of an election.” Wagner isn’t wrong, hashtags with the statement “not my president” have sprouted, shirts have been made denouncing Trump’s win, and Jill Stein has been raising money for recounts in states Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. On the sidewalk vandalism that has sprouted Wagner commented, “I think that everybody should have free speech everybody should be able to express themselves whether or not they like to write with chalk “Black lives Matter” or “Trump” or whatever you’d like to write so long as you’re not inciting people to violence.” The concept of protesting the opponents win in a presidential election is not new; however, the circumstances that surround this election are extremely unconventional. According to the New York Times Hillary won the popular vote by over 2 million surpassing popular vote wins but presidential losses of Al Gore, John F Kennedy, and Richard Nixon. It’s safe to say a majority of people are upset with the loss reflecting in the protests across the nation that are digging deep at the divides that already shaped our nation. Wager concluded his reflection stating, “If we ever intend to move beyond fighting each other we’re going to have to talk to each other we’re never going to be able to get past all the differences that are dividing our nation.”  

As things are uneasy around the nation, people are finding ways to try and cope with things.  However, on college campuses things are becoming too much for people to handle.  College campuses around the nation are seeing a variety of responses to heightened emotions post election. 

Frostburg State University student, Jay Gourdin was walking through echo circle and saw a lot of writing saying things like “F*ck your safe space” and “Build a wall”. It made her uncomfortable so she went to her room to get stuff to wash the chalk away. She said that she felt like the people who wrote this terrible stuff wanted a response, therefore she wrote words to respond. “I wasn’t going to write stuff that was supporting Hilary, cause I’m not sure if she would’ve done a better job as President”. She said So Jay wrote quotes such as “We Shall Overcome”, “Love is Louder”, and “You Matter” around the echo circle, and under that she wrote BLM. “I feel like Trump is for hate so I wanted to spread love”. 

J. Gourdin's paintings in echo circle

J. Gourdin's paintings in echo circle

J. Gourdin's paintings in echo circle

Jay expressed how the campus just seemed quiet and dark the day after elections and that she just wanted to shed some light on everyone. So for her to see that her words of positivity were washed away really made her feel like the exact opposite thing was happening.  After Jay finished she said that Tom Bowling approached her and said that the words she was writing were spreading positivity and that he would talk to the President about removing the negative words around campus. “He started to help me clean up all the words about Trump, and more people started to show up and help out. We cleaned up between the Performing Arts Center and Dunkle. I went to grab lunch in Lane and came back to see that the guys were washing the paint off.”  

The 2016 presidential election has brought out high tensions among those on college campuses.  The students among the college campuses today spread themselves across all political platforms.  You would not talk to 100 students and get the same political identification.  With the tension that has come about there have also been protests that have begun to show that students are not okay with President Elect Donald Trump.  At Towson University, a walkout was staged on November 14^th only days after the election.  This protest was led by faculty members to address that they are not okay with the discrimination that is being pushed by the president elect.  This seems to be the case across the country on all campuses.  Here on our home campus of Frostburg State University, a local pizzeria, Fatboy's Pizza Shack, is accused of racist comments towards African American students, as well as not serving and kicking out a transgender student.  A Frostburg State fraternity, Pi Lambda Phi is hosting a forum on December 10 at 12 pm to discuss why this behavior is not okay, and it needs to be stopped before president elect Donald Trump takes office.  The brothers of Pi Lambda Phi have made it their personal mission to eliminate hate across the Frostburg State University Campus as that is one of the things the fraternity stands strongly for.   

This protest started out as a boycott to the local pizzeria for disrespecting two of the brothers, but as things escalated when Donald Trump was elected to be our next president the brothers of Pi Lambda Phi decided to really raise awareness to eliminate hate as they felt that Donald Trump stood for that and was encouraging it.  All of the brothers started the boycott on their own when the entire fraternity stopped eating from there.   After speaking to Pi Lambda Phi brother James Cousler, "The word has just spread from there" said Cousler, "Our president has a meeting on Tuesday December 6 with the Fatboy's owner, and the university president.  The owner of Fatboy's is really concerned about what the students could potentially do to his business.  So, because of this meeting we have postponed any formal protest to just continue with the boycott our [fraternity] is doing.  After the meeting, if nothing is resolved then we will have our forum and continue with our plan to protest."   

According to Cousler, Pi Lambda Phi was the original source of the boycott, but since word has gotten out about what is happening it has become something "bigger than we are."  Upon several other interviews about this protest there was confusion on what the protest was for, but Cousler was able to clear that up, "With so many groups being involved it's hard to say that the protest is only for one thing.  It is really just to eliminate hate around the town.  It could be for the Black Lives Matter movement, or LGBTG rights, if you want to pin it to one thing, but we just want to see everyone treated the correct way." 

The university has made the students aware of their efforts to keep things calm and civil after an upsetting election. President Dr. Nowacyzk even sent out an email the day after the election stating as follows: 

To the Campus Community, 

Yesterday was an emotional day for all in the United States as we went to the polls to elect our next president. There is no question that this most recent political season has revealed some of the deep political and cultural divides that exist within our country. One of the characteristics of educated persons is that they do not fear differences, but rather are curious about such differences; they seek to understand the perspectives of others. Frostburg State is a community of caring individuals committed to making this world a better place. 

In response to the election results, graffiti has started showing up on campus. This graffiti is creating anger and feelings of intimidation, regardless of whether that was its intent. We appreciate the efforts that many of our students have made to remove the graffiti, and we recognize efforts to replace them with more positive messages. However, we will continue to remove all graffiti so that we are not placed in the position of judging the content of any of these messages. We respect everyone’s right to free speech, but please do not let our beautiful campus become that canvas. 

The diverse community that we have created here will continue. People will always disagree with one another, and we will disagree over important, crucial, life-changing things. We must not let our disagreements feed anger and fear, nor should we tolerate those who would stoke division rather than seek understanding. We are all committed to making certain that everyone on our campus, regardless of their race, religion, class, sexual orientation, or political beliefs feels both welcome and safe. None of us should view any member of this community as “the other.” 

I offer the words of our political leaders for your reflection: 

  

President Obama: “Everybody is sad when their side loses an election, but the day after we have to remember that we're actually all on one team. This is an intramural scrimmage. We're not Democrats first. We're not Republicans first. We are Americans first. We're patriots first. 

“We all want what's best for this country. That's what I heard in Mr. Trump's remarks last night. That's what I heard when I spoke to him directly. And I was heartened by that. That's what the country needs – a sense of unity, a sense of inclusion, a respect for our institutions, our way of life, rule of law, and respect for each other.” 

  

Donald Trump: “Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division. Have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people. 

“It is time. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be President for all of Americans, and this is so important to me. For those who have chosen not to support me in the past … I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country. 

“… We will seek common ground, not hostility; partnership, not conflict.” 

  

Hillary Clinton: “I count my blessings every single day that I am an American, and I still believe, as deeply as I ever have, that if we stand together and work together with respect for our differences, strengthen our convictions, and love for this nation, our best days are still ahead of us. 

“Because, you know, I believe we are stronger together and we will go forward together.” 

  

I leave you with the words of wisdom from Senator J. William Fulbright: 

“Understanding between the peoples on this planet is only possible when differences of culture and outlook are respected and appreciated rather than feared and condemned, when the common bond of human dignity is recognized as the essential bond for a peaceful world.” 

  

We are stronger together, and we are wiser when we listen. 

  

Sincerely, 

Ron Nowaczyk 

Faculty, staff, administration and students all want to see a united campus as efforts will continue through the end of the fall 2016 semester into the spring 2017 semester.   


For specific details on the BSA event held on November 14, 2016 please reference the following:
http://newdayfrostburg.blogspot.com/2016/12/black-lives-matter-forum-by-bsa.html

Written by: Moriah O'Neal, Kendra Stephenson, Nicole Leighty, and Melani Finney

Disappointed by Dining (Group Project)

Disappointed by Dining here at FSU

Written By: Ty Amis, Shannon Farley, Tre Stewart & Dynia Walker

Entrance to Chesapeake Dining Hall (PC: Tre Stewart)

When you think of a college dining hall you should think of students coming together to talk about their day over an enjoyable meal. Is this the case for Chesapeake Dining Hall at Frostburg State University? The students of Frostburg would all have different opinions on the meal selection, some would say the selection is enjoyable, while others would say that it is a waste of money. Most of the student body says that they are paying a despicable amount of money to the university for their meal plans only to be served disgraceful meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

When students step into the dining hall, they should feel as if they are consuming a home cooked meal away from home. Instead they feel as if they are consuming food from a state prison. Some students even make the decision not to eat at the dining hall due to the fact that they do not enjoy the food that is being served. Not only does the dining hall serve despicable meals, but they also have abnormal practices for their service, and outrageous pricing on the meal plans that the students must use to enter the dining hall. Students often wonder where their funds are going, and what happens to their money when they choose not to use their meal plan on certain days.

Sitting down the David Glenn, Director of Dining Services here at Frostburg State University, the student’s voices of concern fueled the conversation. Glenn, Director since Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services signed a contract with Frostburg 2014, reassures that “we [Chartwells] always want student feedback.”

One of the main concerns of students is cost. Where does their money go? How are meal plans determined? And so on. Glenn tried his best to explain the logistics of a complicated service system. It starts from the students. Frostburg has 4,961 undergrads; out of that about 2,300 have meal plans, most of these numbers come from students who live in dorms and are required to have a meal plan, while residents of Edgewood Commons and off campus students have the option to purchase a meal plan or not. For an average meal plan that provides a student with 14 meals a week, plus $100 to spend as they please, a student would pay $2,044 to the school. On average, this means Chartwells is taking in about $4,701,200 a semester.

Disappointed by the selection, students dispose of half-eaten plates. (PC: Tre Stewart) 

From there, the company determines the rest. Glenn explains, “Every semester we look at the amount of students who have a meal plan, and what money we are taking in. We take that lump amount and have to allot it for utilities, the campus card office, the card system, equipment, and really mostly the staff.” When Chartwells first stepped on campus, that money was also distributed to renovations. About 6 million dollars has been spent to renovate two-thirds of Chesapeake Dining Hall including the gutting the entire dish room, something students only unknowingly benefit from.

Although improvements have been made, and the facilities and services kept up, Chartwells still leaves students wondering, what money is left for the actual food? Nicole Picone, a senior education student recalls her feelings from four years of on campus dining. “My frustrations are simple, at least I think so. I’m paying, or my parents are, for food that never seems to turn out so great.”

Chef Adam Kenney develops Chesapeake Dining Hall menus, and like all food service, there are some wins and some losses. As Glenn so quickly admitted, “some dishes don’t register as well with students as we hope, others surpass our expectations. It really depends.” We took our own observations to the students, to see what they had to say about the selection. Loren Ward, a junior who resides on campus feels as though the selection he is being offered is subpar. He laughs as he explains, “We don’t need all the gourmet meals they make incorrectly. Some good wholesome meals will do just fine.”

With only about 800 off campus students holding a meal plan, there must be a reason students choose not to bother with purchasing a meal plan once they leave dorm halls. Senior Justin Turner moved off campus his junior year and has not purchased a meal plan since he was required to in dorm halls. Turner says he does not purchase meal plans anymore because “the amount of meals per semester is a rip off compared to just buying groceries for a semester.” When Turner held a meal plan he did not like that dinner hours ended as early as 8pm. Turner also says the quality of “the food is not always fresh, the only thing they have that’s fresh is the omelet station.”

Paris Griggs, a Resident Assistant of Edgewood Commons says that the only reason she has and can afford a meal plan is because it is a benefit of the job. She says she uses her meal plan to go to the café “I go on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for Brunch. That’s when they have omelettes. If they don’t have good food, I’ll get an omelet and a waffle. Sometimes they will do quesadillas which are good but when they try and be fancy is when it’s nasty.”

Chartwells says it depends on student feedback to determine what dishes are keepers, and which ones FSU student’s could do without. By going through our Student Government Association as well as holding several focus groups throughout the year, Chartwells believes they have a pretty good gauge of what students want. Another common practice, Chartwells distributes several surveys throughout the semester. On average ,they receive about 400 back. By looking at the numbers, and correlating them with days, staff can determine their strengths and weaknesses. When scores aren’t where they should be, comments are then read. Staff then determines what changes should be made.

            Although improvements take time, students still question where their money is going and why there are so many regulations and limits of holding a meal plan. Griggs, Picone, Turner, and Ward all complained about things such as meal plan hours and the quality of the food. The students do not believe the price of having a meal plan is equivalent to what they are being offered. There are students giving feedback through surveys, there is proof of wasted food with Project: Clean Plate, yet there are still no changes in any of the food choices, prices, or hours. With a lack of clear responses, or a public statement outlining how things are being improved, it seems the only time this problem is acknowledged is when students go searching for answers. In a public institution like our own, all students are asking for is to be heard, to feel as though their opinions are taken into consideration, and to be able to see actual improvements based off of their feedback.

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Attached to Chesapeake Dining Hall, and located right on campus, Outtakes is a quick in-and-out convenience store. Run through Chartwells as well, Outtakes is a place where students who are on campus can conveniently run to at all hours of the day and night to grab a snack. They also have small stuff students may forget when they move away from home. Band-Aids, dryer sheets, and Tylenol as well as Tostitos, candy bars and soda can all be found with its four walls. To pay, students have the option of using their Bonus dollars that come with their meal plan, Bobcat dollars, which are loaded onto the card like a debit card, or cash and credit.

Chartwells "convenience store", Outtakes. (PC:Tre Stewart)

For the past few years, students have noticed that prices have been steadily rising on these smaller items at Outtakes, and staying the same at Frostburg’s local 7-11. After conducting a price comparison, reporters found that a single Pepi at 7-11 cost $1.72 and one at Outtakes cost $1.89  Almost a 9% difference in cost (Item 1). 
To an untrained eye, or an adult with a steady income, these prices wouldn’t make them turn their heads. But for students, that difference can have an impact on whether or not a they decide to keep their purchase on campus, or take their business elsewhere. Ashley Darby, a sophomore and Resident Assistant, says that sometimes that extra change is too much for her. “Personally, I can’t justify spending almost a whole extra dollar. Everyone on this campus, no matter his or her background is a struggling college kid. Some days, even if I’m hungry, I just don’t have the money. Or I need to spend it on something else-like gas.”

	Bg of Chips	Cup-o-Soup	Pepsi
7-11	2.04	.99	1.72
Outtakes	2.79	2.09	1.89

Item 1. Prices accurate as of Dec. 4th, 2016. Data Collected by authors. 

David Glenn, Chartwell’s Director of Dining Services here at FSU, wants students to know that those prices are not just made up. In fact, he explains that during the semester, those prices don’t raise at all. Of course, inflation has to be taken into account somewhere, but Glenn reassures, “we won't raise the prices as they are being raised outside of us. If somewhere down in La Vale has a price increase, you won't see that here until the whole next school year.” A clearer understanding of how pricing works could hopefully help more students have a less negative feel towards what they are paying for, and decrease students negative feelings towards Chartwells as a whole.

Other than the prices, students do genuinely enjoy Outtakes and the service it offers. Reflecting back to when she was a freshman and lived on campus, Morgan Cuneo says, “the array of products Outtakes had limited the amount of times I had to beg for a ride, or wait for the Allegany County Transit bus, to grab some milk.” As busy college students, we all know that time is valuable and having the ability to just walk through campus for what you need is priceless. The idea of Outtakes makes perfect sense for a college campus, but more other than not we find ourselves faced with prices that as students we don’t know if we can continue to afford, settling for what we can get.

Outtakes Hours of Operation are as listed:       Monday-Friday: 7.30am-1.30am.

                                                                                    Saturday: 10.30am-1.30am.

                                                                                    Sunday: 10.30am-Midnight.

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Helpful Web Links:

1.     http://www.chartwellsschools.com/Pages/Content.aspx?ItemID=2

This webpage is Chartwells, the corportation's, primary site. In additions to explaining where they get their produce from, the site also shows what Chartwells does to help the communities they are in. This link gives an overall better understanding of the different levels of industry Chartwells interacts with. Also, if students feel strongly about this issue, they can bypass any Frostburg outlets and take matters up with the parent organization. 

2.     https://new.dineoncampus.com/frostburg/for-resident-students

A direct link to Frostburg's Dining. From here students can find information regarding their own meal plans, switching plans, and other Frequently Asked Questions. they can also find contact information to speak with the numerous staff members Chartwells employs on FSU's campus. 

3.     https://new.dineoncampus.com/frostburg/feedback

If students want to give direct feeback to Chartwells, this link is where they can fill out a form to do so. We hope that they more students who are actively participating in giving feedback, the more changes we might see.