Neili Eggert, Dalton Schreiner, Darrian Houser, Austin Chandler, and

Josh Cowles
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
UWRT 1102-055 TuTh 2:00-3:15
Closer to Kosher
Broad Theme/Goal:
The University of North Carolina at Charlottes mission statement
states UNC-Charlotte maintains a particular commitment to
addressing the cultural, economic, educational, environmental,
health, and social needs of the greater Charlotte region.1 However,
despite such laudable goals, we believe that the university has failed
to provide basic dietary needs to Hindu, Muslim and Jewish students.
The aim of our research is to shed light on this injustice, and to be a
tool to advocate for change.
Students cannot keep a Kosher diet on campus because there is no Kosher
kitchen, Kosher catering, or Kosher food offered by the University or Chartwells.
In his book "To Be a Jew" (an excellent resource on traditional Judaism), Rabbi
Hayim Halevy Donin suggests that the dietary laws are designed as a call to
holiness. The ability to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, pure
and defiled, the sacred and the profane, is very important in Judaism.2
1 http://www.UNC-Charlotte.edu/landing/about
2 "Judaism 101: Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws." Judaism 101: Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws.
N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.

Eating Kosher is a fundamental part of the cultural and religious identity of the
modern Jewish person. This topic should be extremely important to UNC-Charlotte
because, Jewish students, Muslim students, Hindu students, and students who have
certain food allergies would greatly benefit from having a Kosher kitchen and Kosher
food on campus. Adding a kosher food option on campus would help students save time
and money by not having to go off campus to meet their dietary needs. If you take the
student body as a whole, undergraduate and graduate students, our community has
approximately 27,000 students3, one-third of which, or 9,000 students, are Jewish,
Muslim, or Hindu and would benefit from having Kosher catering, a Kosher kitchen, or
Kosher food on campus.If you take the 9,000 students and assume only half of these
student lives on campus that leaves over 4,500 students who must go out of their way in
order to meet their basic dietary needs. The cheapest meal plan offered by Chartwells is
$2,035 for students,4 which when multiplied by 4,500 students equals $9,157,500 in lost
revenue for the campus and Chartwells. These numbers are obviously best case estimates,
however it still demonstrates how both the student body and administration can benefit
from a kosher food option. Providing kosher food is not only necessary for the students
on campus, but also represents a significant business opportunity for Chartwells. By
providing food for kosher students and creating more revenue for UNCC, our research
will be both beneficial to the student body and UNCC.

Research Questions:
3 http://admissions.UNC-Charlotte.edu/about-unc-charlotte/university-profile
4 http://www.dineoncampus.com/UNC-Charlotteharlotte/show.cfm?
cmd=residents

In order to facilitate our goal of providing an advocacy tool, and to inform our
peers, we have drafted a series of questions related to access and availability of kosher
food on campus. These questions will serve as a guideline for our investigation into this
complex topic.
Why is there no Kosher kitchen on campus for students
who wish to keep a Kosher diet, a certain religious diet, or students with
certain food allergies?
Why does Chartwells not offer Kosher catering for students
or student clubs?
Why is there not a Kosher vending machine or Kosher
section at Outtakes?
Why do student clubs who need to keep Kosher or a certain
religious practice have to get an exemption from Chartwells for catering at
each event when Chartwells cannot provide the food?
Why does the University administrators allow Chartwells
to alienate students by not providing Kosher food, a Kosher kitchen, and
Kosher catering?
In order to answer these questions we plan to use a variety of tools and methods,
both online and in person. We have created an online survey asking students if they
would like to see a Kosher meal option and have a Kosher kitchen on campus which
would benefit the campus community. Unfortunately, due to time constraints our surveys
are limited to online only, however most students are active online so we believe that,
although not optimal, online surveys will still be sufficient to get a full picture. We have

created interview questions to gain the perspective of members of the Jewish club,
Muslim club, and Hindu club on campus. As well, we will interview the person in charge
of the Religious & Spiritual Life office and the Multicultural Resource Center on campus,
the head of Chartwells at the university, and the administration at the university to discuss
potential next steps in solving this problem. We will also have a discussion with a local
Rabbi to discuss kosher laws, and how the greater Jewish community deals with this
problem.

Interview/Survey:
The best way to research the topic of gaining a Kosher kitchen, Kosher catering,
and having Kosher food on campus is to research other campuses in the state. By
searching through public records, we will be able to gain insight into how other campuses
have gained or try to gain Kosher food on campus. By asking a Rabbi or Imam about
religious dietary restrictions, the more knowledge you gain on the subject. We will also
investigate Chartwells as a company and see if any other schools they are contacted with
offer Kosher meals. By using the library research site or Google scholar you can research
Kosher food. These sites can help you gain the background knowledge necessary for
knowing what Kosher food is and why it is important to certain religious groups. Reading
Kosher cookbooks is another way to research the topic and to learn how to cook Kosher
food.
We have also created a survey which will be sent out through the social media
platforms of Facebook, Email, and Twitter. We expect to have difficulty with students

filling out the survey due to lack of interest. From the results gathered so far on the
survey we made, around eighty-percent of people on campus do not know how difficult it
is to obtain food based on special dietary needs and wants UNC-Charlotte to
accommodate these students (Schreiner, Dalton. Kosher and Religious Dietary Foods.
Survey. 21 March 2015). Most of the participants that took the survey live on campus
while eating on campus regularly. These students most likely do not have any way of
getting their dietary needs from off campus sources.

Challenges:
Some of the challenges we face in this research are students do not regularly
check their email, so they might not answer the survey sent out to them. A response from
Chartwells might not come in time for the due date of this assignment. The university
administration might not be receptive to this research. Knowledge from previous
experiences might show that the university does not care for the Jewish students and their
religious restrictions. Even though there are some challenges, we believe this research
topic is one which must go forward. There are close to 9,000 students who are affected by
the lack of a Kosher kitchen, Kosher catering, and a Kosher food option on campus. As
part of this community and the university community we must stand up for each other. If
we do not stand up for each other than what are we truly achieving here at the University
of North Carolina at Charlotte?5

5 The student figures above are an estimate and not any official
number at the university.

Research Sources:
Heart to Hearts Map of Kosher Food on Campus
theheart2heartproject.org/koshermap/
We zoomed in and just
looked on North Carolina.
Tablet Magazine (A New Read on Jewish Life)
tabletmag.com/jewish-life-andreligion/160129/kosher-on-campus
Article for college students
who keep Kosher on campus. Table of campuses which
offer Kosher food from 1953 to present.
STAR-K ONLINE
www.star-k.org/kashrus/kkFirstTasteofjudaism.htm
It helps to certify Kosher
dining halls, concession stands, and take out food locations
on campus in the northeast.
Duke Student Affairs
studentaffairs.duke.edu/sites/default/files/u7/
sh_kosherhealthy.pdf
Explanation of Kosher law
ands Dukes dining options for those who keep Kosher on
campus.
Northeastern University
www.northeastern.edu/news/2013/08/interna
tional/village-new-dining-options/
Kosher to go station at new
dining hall located on the campus of Northeastern
University.
Jewish Journal

 www.jewishjournal.com/food/article/food_tr
ucks_have_kosher_will_travel
Article about Kosher food
trucks that stop of university campuses.
New Voices (News and views of campus jews)
newvoices.org/2012/02/15/0125/
Article about Kosher food not
just being for jewish students on campus. Northwestern
University is used as an example,
Chabad
www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/7895
59/jewish/Kosher-Options-Expand-on-Campuses.htm
Article about new Kosher
eateries on American university campuses. University of
Miami is one of the examples.
Chartwells Options at UNC-Charlotte
www.dineoncampus.com/unccharlotte/
We used this for meal plan
prices, places to eat on campus, and catering options
offered by Chartwells.
aux.uncc.edu/dining
Used to find vegetarian and
vegan options on campus.
uncc.catertrax.com
Chartwells UNC-Charlotte
catering online ordering site.
www.dineoncampus.com/unccharlotte/show.
cfm?cmd=residents
Meal Plan prices for
freshmen and upperclassmen living on campus that require
a meal plan purchase. We Used the cheapest freshmen and

the second most expensive upperclassmen of $2,035 per

semester for our figures above.
Judaism 101 describing the dietary laws and their
importance:

"Judaism 101: Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws."

Judaism 101: Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar.
2015.

Kosher Chartwells options at other campuses

depalcatering.com/menu/specials
Kosher menu offered with 4
day minimum notice. This is an example of Chartwells
offering Kosher catering for students, faculty/staff, and
student organizations.
www.dineoncampus.com/umbc/show.cfm?
cmd=kosherDining
Example of Kosher dining
offered through Chartwells at UMBC that is in the
University of Maryland system.
unihub.mdx.ac.uk/mdx/announcements/char
twellsnewrangefeb13.aspx
Chartwells introduces new
Halal (Islamic version of Kosher) and kosher range at
Middlesex University in London, England.