It began the “Improving Student Cafeteria Campaign,” selling rice balls with refillable soup and kimchi for 1,000 won, in front of the cafeteria on Oct. 6.
“It is kind of a boycott against the cafeteria food,” said Kim Ji-young (Philosophy, 3), the vice-president of the SGA. “We refill kimchi and soup as much as students want, which we think is a basic service when serving food.”
The SGA will decide how much longer it will sell the rice balls depending on the students’ responses and the school’s further action.
As another part of the campaign, the “Student Cafeteria Improving Team” was formed by the SGA members and seven Ewha students. They research other schools’ cafeterias, monitor the cafeteria and carry out various on- and off-line events to increase students’ awareness and participation in drawing out improvements in the cafeteria.
The SGA took the result of a survey conducted in September and decided to start working for asking for the improvements in the quality of the cafeteria.
In the survey, students gave the taste, amount and price of food approximately three out of five stars, while the quality and variety received about 2.5 stars each. Based on the results, the SGA sent an official letter to the school, asking for improvements.
President Kim Sun-uk visited the cafeteria with the SGA members on Sept. 29. She examined the overall environment, menu diversity and the quality and price of food. She pointed out the need for improved service and remodeling.
The school inspected the interior of the cafeteria on Oct. 4 with plans to remodel it during this year’s winter vacation. Furthermore, window screens were also installed to block birds from flying inside for food.
To give variety to the menu, Shinsegae Food, the company that runs the cafeteria, plans to research other school’s cafeterias and add more dishes based on the results.
However, there are still several requests that Shinsegae Food has not responded to.
The self-service system for side dishes has not begun and broken plates have not been replaced yet. The SGA also asked to hold a meeting with the school and Shinsegae Food, but Shinsegae Food refused.
“We will continue the campaign until the rest of our requests are accepted and students are able to eat cheap but adequate quality food in a clean environment,” Kim said.