Students expressed support for food delivery two weeks after the creation of a Food Delivery Task Force was announced in an email to the student body by the Dean of Students’ Office on October 3rd.
Three cluster deans and multiple house counselors declined to interview due to limited knowledge on the subject. On September 16, Susan Esty, Dean of Students and Residential Life, noted there was “no story” about a food delivery policy to report in an email to The Phillipian. This past week, Esty and David Gardner, Assistant Dean of Students and Residential Life, did not respond to follow-up interview requests from The Phillipian.
In their email to the student body, Esty and Gardner noted that a “recent surge in deliveries… has raised significant concerns about student safety and wellbeing, campus traffic, and community connection.” The task force, which will be composed of students, faculty, staff, and administrators, will draft a new food delivery policy to be implemented later this year. Students must apply and be accepted in order to join the task force.
“[The task force] will assess needs, gather input, review best practices at other schools, and propose a revised policy that balances safety, health, fairness, and community connection… [and] assisting with drafting, refining, and communicating the final policy proposal,” wrote Esty and Gardner in their email to the student body.
Ben Temple, Dean of Faculty, commented on his thoughts on the reasoning behind the task force. From his outsider perspective, he named multiple possible reasons that food delivery causes downsides to the boarding school experience.
“I am new to PA, so my perspective is somewhat limited. My sense is that food delivery increases traffic on campus for drivers who may be unfamiliar with the campus. While I can’t speak from my own observations, my sense is that food delivery has the effect of decreasing the centrality of a common dining experience for students. My understanding is that other schools might have central delivery locations on their campuses, which would allow students to order food for delivery but address some of the traffic concerns. I am not on the food delivery task force and am not aware of the group’s conversations or process,” wrote Temple in an email to The Phillipian.
As reported previously by The Phillipian, many students have mixed feelings about having restrictions for food delivery. As a boarder, Teddy Blum ’29 uses DoorDash once a week. Referring to concerns of how food delivery can impede community connection, Blum suggested that the school instead focus on ways to improve the dining experience at Paresky Commons.
“Sometimes the Commons food is unhealthy, and there isn’t another option, so I usually DoorDash that… I don’t think there needs to be restrictions, but maybe more encouragement to eat at Commons. I know they have a survey, but maybe they can have a more interactive survey, that’s easier for people to access and say what they would like to eat,” said Blum.
To some students with various commitments, such as sports or clubs, food delivery is essential to ensuring they can make it to all their commitments. Murewa Biyi-Olaoye ’27 explained her schedule in the prior year, noting that particular days became tough for her.
“Last year, I would order every Thursday because I had some commitments. I’d have musical practice, then I’d have voice lessons and then I’d have meetings. I’d always be done at seven when Commons [dinner] ended. I’d have to order every Thursday. This year, I don’t have as many commitments, but I still do order once a week or once every two weeks,” said Biyi-Olaoye.
Edward Kim ’29 further expressed how, as an international student from Korea, ordering Korean food allows him to retain part of his own culture and a sense of comfort. He noted some things that he would like the task force to consider.
“Another reason [I order] is to feel back at home, because I’m Korean and there’s not that much Korean food served at Paresky, so I sometimes order Korean food… You want to have your hometown food,” said Kim. “My general opinion is that we are high schoolers and we should be responsible enough to not have a policy regarding delivery … If there is a new policy, my hope is that it doesn’t restrict too much. There should be flexibility in terms of what you can order and when you can order.”
