<p>"Ban the eggs! And dairy products! And nuts! </p>
<p>Also, while we’re at it, bees, wasps, shellfish, yeast, grasses, ragweed, and cat dander.</p>
<p>Anything else that causes deadly reactions in some people?</p>
<p>Did I miss anything?"</p>
<p>Yes, you did! The mystery ingredient that can be simply listed as “spices” on the label or omitted at al! Ban Mexican food, pizza and pasta with tomato sauce as well as any other spicy foods. Not kidding - there are allergies to that stuff that may not be deadly in the short run, but in the long run they lead to severe intestinal problems and shortened lifespan.</p>
<p>Oh, trees! The evil birches and filberts especially. Chop them all down! Like the president of Uzbekistan, apparently, did - according to D’s friend, he ordered removal of all trees from a park near his palace, because he hates trees.</p>
<p>And I hate PB - but I am against banning it.</p>
<p>I’ve been looking at this question as it relates to the school in the OP that has taken action to ban peanuts, Swarthmore, a small LAC with a single dining room, where freshmen are required to live on campus and 95 percent of the student body continues to live in the dorms beyond freshman year. I’m not sure what the ability of students to afford the meal plan has to do with anything, since if they’re not eating on campus whether or not the school serves peanuts is a moot point.</p>
<p>Romanigypsyeyes-
I wasn’t meaning to compare vegetarianism to peanut allergies from the point of view of the eater, but rather to address the assertion that schools can’t provide students with solid, protein rich meals in the absence of peanut products.</p>
<p>Perwinkle - can you find where in the ruling does it ban any particular food item? I just read through it and maybe I missed something.</p>
<p>This ruling forces this U to make reasonable accommodations for students who have a food allergy who’s severity falls under ADA. The ruling came about because the U FORCED the students to pay for meal plans without making reasonable accomodations and without allowing them to opt out.</p>
<p>Here are the reasonable accommodations that they were forced to implement:</p>
<p>“The University agrees that its Food Service Provider will continue to provide meals made without specific allergens to students with food allergies who have food allergy modification plans under the process described in Paragraph 3. The Food Service Provider will take reasonable steps to prevent the food from containing the specific allergens at issue for the student, to the extent possible. The food will also be nutritionally comparable to the food choices offered to other students, to the extent reasonably possible. The University’s dining hall food lines will continue to offer and identify a variety of food options made without certain allergens (e.g., wheat, dairy, nuts), and the Food Service Staff will take reasonable steps to avoid cross-contamination.”</p>
<p>“The University agrees to continue to allow students with access to the dedicated area to submit their individualized and specific “shopping lists” of requested food made without allergens to the Food Service Provider. The University will ensure that the Food Service Provider purchases the requested items in a timely manner (approximately once or twice per week). The University also agrees to ensure that the Food Service Provider independently monitors the food supply in the dedicated area and replenishes the food supply as necessary”</p>
<p>"The University agrees to continue to provide students with food allergies a separate area to store and prepare food (the “dedicated area”) in the manner set forth below. As of the date of this Agreement, the University will continue to dedicate a restricted room adjacent to the White Hall dining room and accessible to the University’s Student Center. "</p>
<p>These are just three examples that I wanted to quote because they are great examples of REASONABLE accommodations for miniscule portion of the student body without restricting the vast majority.</p>
<p>By the way the ruling only enforces these accommodations for the next three years, but I hope the university will continue with them afterwards.</p>
<p>It might not be overkill if the dining hall setup at the college described in the original post is such that cross-contamination cannot be prevented – for example, a setup where students serve themselves, buffet style. The college might prefer to take all peanut products off the menu rather than change its style of food service. And the college would still be fulfilling the terms of the Lesley University agreement, which doesn’t preclude this option (although it certainly doesn’t require it, either).</p>
<p>For traditionally residential colleges…especially LACs and LAC-like universities, fostering a viable campus community factors into their appeal for many atudents and admission decisions. </p>
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<p>I call BS on this part. I came from a working-class family and am one of many students who received near-full ride or total full-ride FA/college scholarships to attend. </p>
<p>In my case, what the near-full ride didn’t cover was less than what I’d have paid to attend my local public colleges as a commuter.</p>
<p>If you are not allergic, then eat nuts! The recent research indicates that they are nutritious and good for your health, including your heart, diabetes and even help with weight control.</p>
<p>Well cobrat I call BS on you. You were gifted enough mentally to have the grades and test scores to receive the scholarships that allowed you to have the experience that you did, but you are the exception and not the rule. There are plenty of “average” academically students who can only swing academic FA and have to take care of the rest on their own, or worse can’t get anything other than loans.</p>
<p>Um, we’re talking about people on meal plans eating food provided by dining halls. I think most people are perfectly fine with people eating peanut butter in their dorm rooms.</p>
<p>@Bay, I think that for the most part, natural peanut butter is fine (though a relatively poor protein source compared to even things like whole wheat bread and incredibly calorie dense). But natural peanut butter should be refrigerated, or else the oil will separate.</p>
<p>I loved pb growing up. But after years of deprivation for the safety of my kids, I find pb to be disgusting. The taste is really awful and I completely understand why Europeans hate pb.</p>
<p>Wash U is now peanut free in all seven or eight of its dining places. They sell pre packed thing with peanuts at some grab and go locations.</p>
<p>I think this might be slightly excessive, but oh well. (Again, I understand some locations but every dining hall in a school of 6k undergrads, 6k grads is a lot).</p>
<p>I am ROTFLOLing atm considering how surprised you’d probably be if you had actually seen my high school transcript/GPA. Trust me, it’s the stuff of the worst parent nightmares…and I’m not just talking CC/perfectionistic parents.</p>
<p>Moreover, while I did attend an urban public magnet…me and many other classmates there are living proof one doesn’t necessarily need to be gifted to go there. Some of my HS teachers would certainly testify to that!</p>
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<p>While I prefer the commercial versions like PG, I can enjoy natural peanut butter once in a blue moon as I did when a friend had me try some from Trader Joe’s on a visit. </p>
<p>Incidentally, my go to brand is Skippy’s. Never had Jif though I may try it sometime.</p>
<p>Sally, never said total ban ( aka campus wide). Support the dining hall ban completely. Too many viable options to replace the protein source in the dining hall. Keep the skippy in the dorm room and use common sense. Nut sensitive students have more limited options, so asking for this accommodation from their peers, teammates, friends, and fellow students, for one short season in their lives, in this one place on campus, seems like an accommodation most would be ok with. </p>
<p>Of course I would love a totally nut free zone, but that’s not reality. D is a big girl, and ended up at Stanford, so its not surprising that she manages her allergy quite well and with grace and dignity. Saying No in dining situations has been in her vocabulary since toddlerhood. School is no different. She does have her teammates and sorority sisters in her corner though, and both groups have ( without my D asking) completely accommodated her dietary needs. It is a community of lovely young people who have impressed us with their care and concern for making sure she could fully participate without fear. </p>
<p>As Sally noted, I posted on another thread about feeding the young athlete. D is a 2x national champion and has never lacked for healthy fuel sources…homemade granola ( mailed in care package, so no need to make in dorm room), hummus and veggie sticks, hard boiled eggs, tuna packs with crackers. The latest fad is cucumber slices topped with a slice of turkey, and a piece of fresh mozzarella/tomato/or avocado. Low carb, high protein. Sometimes you just need sweets, so zucchini brownies are the bomb! </p>
<p>I will never relax completely with her allergies, but thankfully, she is in a really great place and can eat in the nut free dining hall. She can choose to eat in the athlete, high performance dining hall where everything is labeled…of course she is at risk here, more so than at the nut free dining hall, but thus far it has not been an issue. ( remember she is NOT PA, rather tree nut allergic which is just as lethal, but the use of tree nuts is far less common). She always carries her epi pen, and is fully aware that all that buys her is 15 -20 minutes to get to the hospital.</p>
