Email Article

Printable Page

Students Sit In to Protest N.C. Central Cafeteria Conditions

Photo credit: Kevin Clark/Campus Echo Cafeteria Manager Lawrence Lisborg addresses North Carolina Central University students as SGA Vice President Agu Onuma looks on.

By Larisha J. Stone
Black College Wire

Some students at North Carolina Central University, saying they have seen enough of what they deem to be poor quality food, inadequate customer service and unsanitary conditions in W.G. Pearson Cafeteria, are calling for improvements.

About 100 students staged a sit-in protest in the cafeteria Feb. 15 and successfully demanded an audience with management.

Agu Onuma, vice president of the Student Government Association, organized the event with other members of the SGA senate.

"The quality of food and efficiency of staff has been an injustice to students," said Onuma. "Service should be better."

When the students met with Lawrence Lisborg, cafeteria general manager, they raised concerns about the cafeteria's lack of variety, food quality and sanitation.

Sean Kornegay, a mass communication senior, said sanitation was a major issue for him, and said he was not impressed with the efforts to keep the cafeteria clean.

"Students come in to sit and eat, and have to choose the least dirty spot to eat at," said Kornegay. As if on cue, a roach crossed in front of Lisborg. When students recognized the irony and pointed it out to Lisborg, he laughed.

On Dec. 12, Durham Health Department inspectors gave the cafeteria a score of 90 percent, an A minus.

The department randomly inspects restaurants and school cafeterias four times a year. The highest possible score is 101. If a score drops below 70 percent, the facility can be closed.

A four-year history of inspection scores at Pearson provided by the Durham County Health Department shows that the cafeteria received its lowest average score — a 90 — in 2005. This compares with an average of 95.5 in 2004, 93.5 in 2003 and 96 in 2002.

Together, Durham high school cafeterias received an average score of 97.5 in 2005.

Lisborg said Pearson's less-than-perfect score can be attributed to the building, not to the quality of food or sanitation. He said if certain repairs were made, the score would increase significantly.

According to Sept. 7 and Dec. 12 inspection reports, major violations centered on food protection and storage, especially temperature violations.

"A 90 isn't bad. It's an A," said Marvin Hobbs, an environmental health specialist with the Durham County Health Department.

Students also said they wanted a greater selection, including seafood, steak and fresher vegetables.

"Black people suffer greatly from heart disease and stroke," said Portia Woodson, a sophomore in nursing. "Why are we served burgers and french fries every day, instead of healthier alternatives?"

Lisborg said the staff had served veggie burgers and chicken patties in the past, but beef burgers were more popular.

Another complaint was slow service. Onuma said that often the staff is not large enough to keep lines moving.

One cafeteria staff member, Boyd Taylor, took issue with the way students arranged the protest.

"Students should have gotten a spokesperson and taken the issue to the proper authorities and discussed them," said Taylor. "Some of the issues are legitimate, but do it in the proper way."

But the sit-in was productive, some students said.

"Students have been complaining for so long, and it's great to see people take a stand for what they really want," said psychology junior Kai Christopher.

Onuma, the front man of the cafeteria sit-in, said if conditions did not change, the SGA senate would organize a cafeteria boycott.

He said he was using the sit-in as a platform to begin protesting other issues on campus. "Change starts at home," he said.

Larisha J. Stone, a student at North Carolina Central University, writes for the Campus Echo.

Posted Feb. 26, 2006