In a demonstration of unity, the Student Association passed a resolution toward the end of last semester calling for the expansion of kosher and halal dining options on campus.

The unanimously passed resolution’s impact statement says it aims to “improve the accessibility, affordability, and nutritional adequacy” of these campus dining options. The legislation was authored by Saul Hakim, an off-campus representative and a senior double-majoring in Judaic studies and political science; Layla Modlin, an off-campus representative and a senior majoring in political science; and Brett Patrick, a Dickinson Community representative and a sophomore majoring in political science.

“By advocating for expanded kosher and halal stations, extended hours, consistent vegetarian offerings, and greater access to grab-and-go options, the Student Association aims to create a more inclusive campus dining environment that respects and supports students’ religious and dietary preferences, fostering a healthier and more equitable campus for all,” the statement reads.

Patrick said the idea for the legislation was born after a peer in a writing class highlighted the lack of consistent hours at the halal station in the Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center dining hall, including a general lack of dietary options that meet the needs of vegetarian students. Hakim and Modlin had originally co-written a similar bill, which the three then merged to form the passed resolution.

Over the past year, the student body has experienced a heightened level of division, especially surrounding political tensions in the Middle East. One of the primary reasons he decided to run for Congress, Patrick added, was to unite the student body while improving student life as a whole.

“Passing this legislation with unanimous support, 21 to 0, was a meaningful step forward in achieving that goal,” Patrick wrote to Pipe Dream. “I’m proud of this progress and am committed to proposing additional initiatives fostering unity among Binghamton students.”

Developing a formal line of communication between Sodexo, the SA and other prominent organizations, like Hillel and the Muslim Student Association, is a key aspect of the legislation. Sodexo initially committed to offering halal options in Hinman Dining Hall by fall 2021, according to the SA special dining report, which did not come to fruition due to “logistical challenges.” Patrick added that the 2022 Special Dining Committee Report [HYPERLINK: https://www.bupipedream.com/news/sa-committee-calls-for-change-in-dining-halls/127102/], whose recommendations for kosher and halal improvements were endorsed by the SA in an April 2022 resolution, went unimplemented by the University.

On BU Dining Services’ and Sodexo’s goal to establish inclusive campus dining, Daniel McLain, a district manager at Sodexo, said he was looking forward to working with the Student Association and other relevant organizations on successfully providing kosher, halal and vegetarian diets.

“While we have worked to serve students on campus who have halal and kosher diets (through efforts such as providing a build-your-own Sahoor station for meal kit creation in the C4 Dining Hall during Ramadan, and kosher meals provided at Kosher Korner during peak meal hours), we understand that students may have additional requests in these areas, and we look forward to discussing them to work toward achieving our mutual goals,” McLain wrote in a statement to Pipe Dream.

Given that the budget had already been allocated and a contract was in place, Hakim mentioned that despite the 2022 dining report’s attempt to make some of these advances, there were certainly obstacles facing representatives at the time. With Sodexo’s contract up for renewal in 2026, there is a revived push to establish some of the changes highlighted in the resolution.

Kosher Korner is open from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for dinner, which the authors argue restricts student access to dietary options reflecting their nutritional needs. The resolution also states that the Kosher Express station is inconsistently stocked and expensive, creating reliability and financial barriers.

“Kosher dining options on campus were previously very limited and would be difficult at times for students to easily access,” wrote Arielle Schlissel, the president of Hillel and a senior double-majoring in psychology and anthropology. “This resolution will make dining more accessible for students who keep kosher and is very important for establishing an inclusive space for all students at Binghamton.”

Organizations like the Muslim Student Association must allocate large portions of their budget to students with these dietary restrictions, especially during the month of Ramadan, the legislation says.

Hakim noted that the Student Culinary Council has played a vital role in communicating student dining needs, and the legislation provides “an opportunity to expand its scope and impact.” Eason Zhu, the council’s community outreach coordinator and a sophomore majoring in accounting, and Huraba Arif, the council’s events coordinator and a sophomore majoring in business administration, said they recognize that many students may prefer expressing their concerns through the council rather than to administrators.

Through conversations with students, they have realized the need for a stronger variety of halal items, arguing that some of these concerns could be addressed by offering a kosher or halal baseline in the general dining hall menu. Highlighting Expedition in C4 dining hall, which was a Chipotle-style halal station, they emphasized that non-Muslim students were not deterred nor affected by the halal symbol on its menu.

More specifically, Hakim said a united approach between organizations like the Culinary Council and the SA is critical as Sodexo’s contract expires, allowing the University to potentially integrate some of these recommended changes. These include alleviating the travel burdens students living on opposite sides of campus may face by establishing kosher and halal stations in Hinman Dining Center, adding Thursday Nite Owl to Kosher Korner’s operational hours and more sufficiently stock the Kosher Express station.

They also request that the University ensure weeklong halal option availability, with Nite Owl accommodations for Ramadan and a variety of meal selections.

Ali Waleed, the president of the Muslim Student Association and a senior majoring in biology, said advocating for more halal choices was one of his main goals in the role. While Royal Indian in the Marketplace offers some options, it is not financially sustainable for most students, Waleed wrote, and the halal food cart in C4 is inconsistently staffed.

“We hope that this resolution brings us further to that goal. Having halal food options on campus is an area in which Binghamton University falls behind a lot of other universities, including other SUNY’s,” Waleed wrote. “We believe that making these changes will make Binghamton University a more welcoming place for Muslim Students, as well as prospective students who are considering Binghamton University.”