• “Unfair Trade” by Mark Sidwell of the Adam Smith Institute
• “The Bitter Aftertaste” by WorldWRITE
• Response to “Unfair Trade”, by Satya Ramen of JUDES
• The Fairtrade Research Institute Publications Index
• “A Response to the Adam Smith Report & A New Way to Think About Measuring the Content of the Fair Trade Cup” by Alastair Smith of BRASS
• Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO) Standards

Removing trays from cafeterias is a nationwide trend. It reduces food waste by up to a third, reduces water consumption, and helps control overeating in dining halls. The University’s information sheet on the topic points to going trayless as a way around the fabled “Freshman 15″, which I found amusing.

The release mentions that talks ceased between Tim Horton’s and the ASU due to a need for “more research and consultation”, though other sources seem to indicate that a Tim Horton’s option would have required a sizable investment that the ASU was not prepared to make without consulting students.

Building on transparency, I propose the ASU President gives a monthly presentation to the student body at large. This would promote person to person interaction allow for students to ask question in person, and get immediate answers, as well as keeping the student body consistently informed on the issues that matter. These talks would be recorded and put on the ASU website for those who may have missed them.

…Chartwells has taken their monopoly on campus food service for granted, and I am committed to doing something about it. If elected, I will be looking into the option of a buy-out of Chartwells in the SUB, with ideas of replacing them with private retailers such as Tim Horton’s and a more popular restaurant chain.

We learned some new information, and I’ll try to summarize it the best I can. First, we learned what “legal issues” were preventing the ASU from telling anybody…anything? They articulated that in business contracts are generally confidential because companies give different kickbacks in different situations. The letter of intent contains financial information which can’t be disclosed. Since they’ve been talking to Tim Horton’s since August, they haven’t been able to say anything, including who they were negotiating with.

They reiterated their position that the process they used to make the decision was legitimate and consistent with their democratic mandate. We reiterated our position that surveys and focus groups are important steps, but are no substitute for forums and debates, where not only opinions but reasoning get shared. These forums were never held (see next post), and there still exists the gap in time between the focus groups and the SRC meeting that the executive made anything public. They conceded very little, only that there could have been a few more things done to publicize the results.

We also have new insight into the data of the survey, although we have neither the survey (although they told us it will be posted as soon as they find a copy) or the results (they think they may have them written down somewhere. I don’t have the confidence to put that in quotations, but that’s what was said). I understand the website was eaten by a virus, Rideshare got eaten too, but in a decision on a 10 year contract based on a survey to claim overwhelming student majority, survey results and research methods are important. Since they were apparently sent out to the facebook group and posted online (although not published in the Ath, and maybe in an all-student email?), they should be around somewhere.

The executive expressed intrest that we be involved in contract negotiations going foreward, but reiterated that they are not in a legal position (unless there are terms of the contract that neither side can agree on…like sustainability?) to back away from their current position. This means the ASU is not considering alternatives, and will not be facilitating public discussion.

In the meeting Amy says she was “trying to show support for the sustainability initiatives, and THEN see if they could go further than that by considering another option.” She also describes Kyle as “super on-edge about it.”

To quote her some more (having her write this would have taken way less time, however she is taking a well-deserved break and I feel we should report this as soon as possible).

In all honesty- at first i thought it wouldn’t be as bad if we were included in the process of the contract, but then I soon realised after talking to you about the large-corporation side of it, that there should be no compromise….and THEN I realised the opportunity with TAN coffee, and was very anti-Tim’s when I “discovered” TAN.

I think this illustrates a large portion of the student population - those who are unaware of the consequences of a “sustainable” Tim Horton’s (see Alan’s letter and the facebook group to see some points with regard to this) versus those of a locally-based coffee shop, and would rather see an environmentally friendly alternative should several important concerns be met.

I personally waited to write the letter because of a few end-of-term essay obligations, and because I didn’t understand that “letter of intent” means “end of the world” in business terms. The ASU says that discussions with Tim Horton’s began in September 2008, making it 6 months before this was mentioned to us. Our tree-hugger brains aren’t sure if this would have been the appropriate time to talk to us to negotiate specific terms of a contract, but we would still be in exactly the position we are now: dismissed as a vocal minority, and told that there is no going back.

I have recently been made aware of the ASU’s decision to contract with Tim Horton’s for food services in the SUB.  I feel compelled to register my disappointment and sense of despair that such a decision could be made at this point in Acadia’s history.  I will leave aside the matter of participatory decision making as that is essentially a student issue and I will not interfere in that.

However as a member of the Acadia community and a resident of Wolfville for over 25 years, I do feel I have a right and a responsibility to comment on the substance of this decision.  Over the years I have both observed and participated in Acadia’s progression towards sustainability and a general consciousness of the environment.  We have programs of study in Environmental Science and Sustainability Studies; the ASU has an Environmental Society and a Sustainability Office; we have the Academy of the Environment and an Environmental Sciences Centre; and the environment and sustainability both featured prominently in Acadia’s most recent Strategic Plan.  We also live in a town that has taken the giant leap of being the first Fair Trade Town in Canada and in a province that is a world recognized leader in recycling and waste diversion.  Finally, the ASU leases space to the Wolfville Farmers’ Market which is running a very successful “Buy Local Challenge” and promotes sustainability and environmental stewardship.

While many in this discussion have focused on the corporate policies of Tim Horton’s, I would like to draw your attention to the concept of “community” and the notion of “shared goals.”  In an earlier communication you noted that the ASU is incorporated as a student organization, hence staff and community members are not stakeholders and (implicitly) their opinions are of no value in this discussion.  A very unique position for a “business owner.”  I know of a number of businesses and organizations in the community and at Acadia that go out of their way to include the views of students in their business plans.  Perhaps faculty and staff should not be eating at the SUB, attending events at the SUB, dropping off dry-cleaning, buying a newspaper or a tee-shirt, or any of the other things we do over the course of a week.

My greatest disappointment in this current discussion is the realization that you, as ASU President, do not consider the ASU as a part of a larger community.  Falling back on Provincial letters of incorporation to support a stand for independence strips away the sense of the ASU as a part of Acadia and Acadia as a part of the local Community.  Surely we must work together to achieve common goals.  I do consider the students and the SUB as part of my Acadia community and am saddened to see this very isolated position.

On a final note, as an educator I am very concerned that the survey methodology used by the ASU in making the food services decisions did not include more of a “full cost accounting” of various choices, and in fact it appears that no real options were suggested.  A survey that bases results on open ended questions and does not include a full spectrum of decision criteria can hardly be considered good research methods.  Again, as an Acadia Faculty Member, it saddens me to learn that you are nearing the end of your time at Acadia and we have failed to instil in you a sense of community, the concept of sustainability and good research methods.  It is in practice and application that we look to see the results of our teaching and unfortunately we have failed here.

Should you at some point wish to look at a more robust decision-making model for food services, I would be more than happy to assist.

Sincerely

Linda Lusby

The ASU has been, and continues to be a democratically elected body, that makes democratic decisions based on student feedback.  Recently, it has been brought to the attention of the Executive that some confusion exists around the prospect of opening a Tim Horton’s in the SUB for the 2009-2010 academic year.

A year and a half ago, the ASU Executive created a survey on the ASU website that almost 20% of the student body responded to and concluded the following:

• Food service in the SUB should include a coffee shop, a grill/fast food concept, and a convenience store
• The hours of these operations should be reflective of the hours that students could make the most out of
• Price is very important, and that pricing should be student friendly
• Consistency was also outlined as being very important encompassing all of the above factors as well as consistency in food quality and quantity

Other questions on the survey were:

• If you had to choose a pizza provider who would it be?
• If you had to choose a coffee shop in the SUB, who would it be?

Of these two questions, a little over 60% of respondents said they would prefer Pizza Pizza to be the pizza provider of choice in the SUB.  With regards to the second question, over 90% of students said that they would prefer to have a Tim Hortons as the coffee shop in the SUB.  Choices were not given, rather students were able to type in any answer.

After hosting the survey, the ASU then formed focus groups.  The focus groups ran over a span of two weeks.  These focus groups reaffirmed the results of the ASU survey.  The Executive then met at the beginning of the summer and decided to move forward with the results of the student consultations.

Acting on these surveys meant meeting first with Chartwells and Acadia to evaluate where their position was.  In the meetings, members of the Executive discussed the student concern over the high price of products in the SUB and the inconsistent food quality and hours of operation.  Chartwells executives informed the ASU that in order to move forward due to financial constraints, the SUB would either have Perkin’s and Momo’s open with the same hours of operation as two years ago (which were essentially 9-2 in Perkin’s and unknown hours in Momo’s) or go with the next option: Perkin’s would have to be closed down and that the exact same services provided in Perkin’s would be available in Momo’s going forward and Momo’s would open with longer hours of operation to compensate with the closure of Perkin’s.  The ASU chose this option because we believed that students still wanted to have a ‘coffee shop’ on campus and that the longer hours of operation would be favorable.

However, this was still unacceptable to the ASU, and shortly after this time, we had decided that we would be moving forward after this current academic year without Chartwells in the SUB.  This was confirmed by the ASU Food Committee as well as surveys performed this year by Acadia University and Chartwells where no food service operation in the SUB scored above a 50% approval rating.

Upon making this decision, the ASU held more focus groups that dealt with creating a vision statement for food services in the building.  While keeping in mind the results of the survey, the ASU Executive outlined the following:

• A Pizza Pizza may not be possible due to the outlying contract with Chartwells, so the ASU may have to look elsewhere
• A Tim Hortons was the coffee shop of choice going forward due to the open process of a survey, focus groups and general feedback
• The convenience store had been self-operated before, and the ASU felt that this was possible to do again
• Student employment is necessary in all ASU operations
• The grill line should provide better service to the Axe, lower its prices, and consider using vegetables from the Acadia Community Farm (at this point the farm was in its infancy)

Now that criteria were set based on ASU consultation with students, we decided to move forward with these projects.  This part of the process began in September 2008.  The Executive began talks with Tim Hortons at this time, but because of the nature of business deals these conversations had to remain private until such a time when they could become public.  From September until December the Executive had begun the contact process with the local franchisee.  After the winter holiday, the Executive were approached by executives from Tim Hortons in the SUB where they had an opportunity to evaluate the space.  Within weeks, the ASU Executive were sent a letter of intent to operate a Tim Hortons franchise, owned by a local franchisee, in the SUB.  The Executive had also finalized plans for the new convenience store, The Union Market, and the new grill line, The Axe Handle.  They have also secured Pizza Pizza in the SUB going forward.

Due to the continued confidential nature (for legal reasons) of the letter of intent, the Executive had called for an ‘in camera’ session during a meeting of the Students’ Representative Council, which basically means observers must leave the room and what is said in the council chambers is not to be repeated once the councilors leave.  The Executive had informed councilors, all of which are elected by you, of what had transpired.  They were asked for any immediate concerns, as well as to collect any feedback or concerns that students may have over the next couple of weeks and to report that back to any member of the executive.  Seeing as how no issues were brought forward, the Executive signed off on the letter of intent indicating that they approved of the terms of the contract which will mean more money for student programming and the Student Activities Fund, hours that span 8am to 11pm Monday through Friday and 10am to 11pm on weekends, consistent pricing and quality that is available throughout the country as well as student employment.  Along with the other ASU food service operations, the ASU will be able to put more money into student initiatives than ever before.

With all of this in mind, the ASU has responded to a process that all students were invited to partake in.  While some folks have called for an open forum, there have been open forums available for students.  As an example, last year, Kyle Steele ran an election campaign on buying out Chartwells and pursuing a Tim Hortons in the SUB.  This election included a debate where all students were allowed to ask questions of his platform - no issues were presented with regards to the Tim Hortons proposal. There was another election this year, where no SUB food service questions were brought in front of candidates.

At this point in time, to reverse the decision of the ASU would mean going back to square one, and would mean that there is a potential for no coffee shop in the SUB next year, potentially longer.  The ASU realizes that this is not a favorable option for Acadia students.  This process would have to be started all over again, and by that time there will be new students here, as there are now, who were not part of the process and who may not agree with the results.  The ASU Executive realizes that this is a democratic form of student government and that is almost always impossible to please every student with every decision made.  However, being part of this democracy is something that the ASU is very proud of.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Kyle Steele, ASU President, at asupresident@acadiau.caThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .