The Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee heard proposals for dining options during the Last Day of Classes celebration at the group's meeting Monday.
Senior Meredith Estren, LDOC Committee chair, attended the meeting to coordinate how DUSDAC and Dining Services would contribute to LDOC festivities.
Estren proposed placing limits on Duke Dining's spending for the Great Hall meal during the event, instead of subsidizing all students' meals as was done last year.
Tom Szigethy, associate dean and director of the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Center, recommended to DUSDAC members a breakfast giveaway partially sponsored by DUSDAC before the start of LDOC festivities, which would encourage students to eat before consuming alcohol.
Last year, the LDOC Committee went a few thousand dollars over budget to provide food to the event's artists, Estren said. This year, however, she recommended hiring a campus caterer to handle their requests.
As soon as LDOC dining plans were off the table, talk shifted to a "flavor tripping party" DUSDAC is planning March 5 in the Von Canon rooms. At the party, DUSDAC will sell a pill based on miracle fruit, a fruit native to West Africa whose proteins bind to taste buds, reacting with acids present in foods to provide a sweet sensation on the tongue--making even lemons taste sweet.
The committee will then provide students with various foods to try as they are "under the influence" of the pill. DUSDAC members hope to raise awareness about the committee through the event.
"The goal is to have an event that's kind of fun and raise money for projects that we're trying to support," said DUSDAC Co-chair Sarah Ramig, a senior. "It is an easy opportunity to reach out to students and give them an opportunity to share their thoughts with us."
In other business:
DUSDAC continued the discussion on the new Merchants on Points survey they are administering to get more student feedback on current off-campus merchants.
Members also discussed the Devil's Advocate handbook, which provides a guide to healthy eating on campus, and the recent salmonella scare in peanut butter-flavored products.
Although tainted products were on the shelves at some campus stores and eateries, most dining locations have pulled the food from their shelves, DUSDAC members said. They advised students to be aware of the recall and to consult the Food and Drug Administration Web site for further information.
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