Image via Truth Jackson

 

By: Truth Jackson, Staff Writer 

 

Morehouse College has unveiled a game-changing update at the Chivers Dining Facility: reusable, environmentally friendly to-go containers. This innovation promises to significantly enhance the dining experience for Morehouse students, faculty, and staff by offering a sustainable solution to reduce waste.

 

Until now, students had limited options for taking food from the dining area. Chivers Dining Facility has changed the dining experience by providing reusable to-go trays to every student with a meal plan. There is also an option for non-meal plan holders, including faculty and staff, to purchase these containers for the semester.

 

Briaja Gilbert, a senior Psychology major at Spelman College, is a student ambassador for Chivers Dining Facility. She has been distributing containers to Morehouse students and has witnessed the positive impact this program has had. 

 

Upon their initial request for a reusable container, students have their Morehouse cards swiped and receive their containers. If the container is lost, a replacement can be obtained for a nominal fee of $6.

 

“You’ll be able to go straight into the cafe, get your meal, and walk straight out,” Gilbert said. “The next time you come, you can bring your dirty box; they’ll exchange it for a clean one for you, and you’ll be able to do that every time you come back.”

 

Gregory C. Brown, a senior Psychology major at Morehouse, welcomes the new to-go option. He recalled having to pay for disposable containers in past semesters, which was a financial burden. 

 

“When I saw those trays, I thought it was a good step forward from the past,” Brown said. “Now we can just take our lunch with us.”

 

Once students fill their containers, they must leave the dining facility for that meal session.

 

 “They can’t eat with the box inside the cafe,” Gilbert said.

 

This impact on students is already evident. It enhances mealtime flexibility, enabling students to eat meals between classes. They can leave their containers in their rooms, refrigerate their food, warm it up, and enjoy it leisurely.

 

Janice Smith, a Chivers employee, emphasized the new system’s convenience.

 

“If the students are in a hurry because they must go to class, they don’t have to eat right then and there,” Smith said. “They can use these new containers.”

 

Photo by Truth Jackson

 

Brian Carter, a junior Business major at Morehouse, believes that better to-go options allow students to make healthier food choices and limit the amount of food they take.

 

“Instead of getting up and eating multiple times, you can choose your meal more wisely,” Carter said. 

 

Food Services Manager Charles Fleming revealed that plans to implement these reusable containers have been underway since the previous semester. 

 

“The primary objective is to provide students with increased flexibility in their dining choices while also significantly impacting the environment,” Fleming said.

 

Fleming expressed his excitement about the program’s potential and hopes that Morehouse College students seize this opportunity to embrace this new, eco-friendly initiative. By doing so, they enhance their dining experience and contribute to a sustainable future. 

 

Renee Calhoun, an executive assistant in the Department of Sociology, praised the dining facility for going green. 

 

“They limit what we are throwing away, so of course they are eco-friendly,” Calhoun said. “It’s time for us, here in 2023, to get eco-friendly.

 

Copy Edited by: Colin Royal, Managing Editor of Print