Co-ops not immune to CDS change turmoil

New meal plan spells uncertainty for co-ops

Even co-opers have felt the wrath of the new CDS meal plan.

The new meal plan has been a source of controversy among students since the beginning of the semester and is raising concerns among the 630 Oberlin Student Cooperative Association (OSCA) members.

The popularity of OSCA has not declined, according to membership secretary Katie Hess. "I'm not having any problems filling the spots in the co-ops and there is still a full waiting list," she said.

The meal plan has not made significant changes to OSCA, but problems arise if students cannot switch between Campus Dining Services (CDS) and OSCA. A question which has arisen is whether or not the College would be able to freeze OSCA's membership after a certain time in the semester. The ability to transfer students from the waiting lists into co-ops when space becomes available is crucial. Co-ops need to be full enough to get cooking and crew done and lack of students would be detrimental.

"If the College freezes the ability to move into OSCA, then we couldn't get new membership when people leave," said college sophomore Brendan Cooney, OSCA Board representative from Fairchild co-op.

A transfer into OSCA can happen if a spot in a co-op opens up and a student on the waiting list is given the opportunity to join. OSCA treasurer and college junior Graf Douglas felt the College was also not clear on how the switches will be handled, but he has faith that this will not become a problem.

Douglas expressed a concern with students spending more than the flex dollars allotted for the weeks spent in CDS and then subsequently transferring into OSCA. This could potentially cause a loss of money for CDS. "It's not a problem for OSCA. The College knows it's a problem and will try the system out and then rework it," he said. "The question is what happens when people spend their flex dollars in the first two weeks and then switch to OSCA," he said.

The flex dollars might also have an effect on off-campus students who were previously members of OSCA. Douglas feels students would find it cheaper to eat seven meals on campus and buy something useful with it, than to pay for eating full-time in a co-op. He added that they are more than welcome to join OSCA by splitting in.

CDS is now able to accommodate all Oberlin students in its dining halls. "There's no incentive for OSCA, if you're talking about a strict capacity-wise niche," Cooney said. This means that CDS could try to compete with OSCA for membership. Cooney also pointed out the important role that co-ops play in Oberlin. "There's a big need, a dietary need, a political need and a community need for OSCA," he said.

What's cookin?: Cooperative kitchens have yet to be affected by the new CDS meal plan. Difficulties could occur, however, if students attempt to join a co-op later in the semester when they have already spent most of their flex-dollars. (photo by Heidi Good).