Perseverance is what makes a movement successful, and the activists advocating for real food have displayed this quality in their ongoing fight to get the chancellor to sign the Real Food Campus Commitment.
In 2011, Chancellor Holden Thorp was petitioned to sign it, but he refused to do so.
Now, five years later, students have created a new petition to get Chancellor Carol Folt to sign the commitment.
Folt needs to do what her predecessor failed to accomplish and meet the demands of students by signing.
The Real Food Challenge that started the commitment defines real food by the sustainability and healthiness of the food. It also accounts for the working practices of the farms and suppliers.
The commitment holds universities to a high standard of making real food 20 percent of all food purchases by 2020. This is not an easy goal to meet, but it is one that would greatly benefit the campus community.
This board understands that the University is already trying to purchase real food, but that does not negate the need for formal commitments and timeframes to facilitate the expansion of purchases.
Secondly, if the University is already seeking out real food and adhering to many aspects of the challenge, there is no reason why they should not be willing to formally commit.
Very few individuals on this campus would oppose providing healthier, more sustainable foods in our dining halls, and while achieving such a goal may be difficult, it is necessary.
