In the Terrace Dining Room, a member of an AU activist group took a picture of an empty container where forks should have been. He posted it on his group’s Facebook page with the caption “Unacceptable.”
Later that week, in a post dated Feb. 15: “No cups, forks, knives, or plates, in TDR…Girl seen drinking tea from bowl.”
In Eagle Rants, on Twitter and in TDR, students lament the empty silverware containers that so often greet them at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Bon Appétit admits it’s never been this bad: They have to order more silverware twice every week from a local company.
“I’ve been here 29 years now and I’ve never seen forks go away like they have this semester,” said Bon Appétit’s Director of Residential Dining, Nancy Bryant.
Now, an activist group is taking a stand.
Three SOC sophomores formed “ForkAid” in February. Bowen Tibbetts, Devan Joseph and Jason Gaines file incident reports about TDR’s silverware shortages on their Facebook page and through a variety of social media.
Their objectives are to raise awareness, increase the fork supply and create a watch program to deter fork thieves, according to their mission statement on Tumblr.
The three activists, all film students and Centennial suitemates, started the group after yet another forkless meal at TDR.
“We get there one day and there weren’t any forks, and I turn to [Gaines] and [Joseph] and I just look at them and go, ‘Shaking my damn head!’ They knew exactly what the problem was,” Tibbetts said.
Joseph said they do it because TDR just falls short.
“We pay over $50,000 [for tuition],” Joseph said. “And that’s all I’m asking, just for a fork. The food’s not bad; it’s OK. I can put up with that. But I just need something to eat the food with.”
“Yeah,” Gaines agreed, “because using your hands or your face, that doesn’t—that’s unsanitary.”
On the other hand, Tibbetts said, “there will be random times when you go to TDR and there will be forks out. So they definitely have a supply. At times.”
ForkAid taps into concerned student base
Though it is most often forks that are missing from TDR, Tibbetts said the problem has expanded beyond silverware.
“Two days ago I wanted to get some Cheerios, and they had no milk. So I had to eat dry Cheerios. It was a very unpleasant experience,” Tibbetts said.
Experiences like his have become so widespread that ForkAid is getting more attention than the trio planned for, Tibbetts said.
“It’s a surprising reaction, actually, how many incident reports we have gotten from people we’ve never met before,” he said. “It started out with a couple people on our floor, friends, but now other students at the school have been hopping on.”
Almost 150 people have “liked” ForkAid’s Facebook page since its inception last month. Fans often post their own photos showing support for the group’s cause, like snapshots of TDR feedback cards or overused forks bent beyond recognition.
Singing for their supper
The three sophomores are also the progressive rap group Maurice Sips Hot Coffee. ForkAid might have started out as a publicity stunt for them, Tibbetts said, but it’s evolved past that.
“It sort of turned into, ‘Kids care about this, we should treat it seriously,’” he said. “And ForkAid has more followers than we do. So if you think about this as a publicity stunt, it’s not working very well.”
With viral hits like “Wonk City” and “Metro Song” racking up thousands of views on YouTube, Gaines said a song is a great way to raise awareness about their cause. They have released lyrics for an upcoming song about TDR and ForkAid.
“Hummus and my tofu and my ginger ale fizz / Last stop silverware, where the forks is? / What am I supposed to do, do I eat with a spoon and look like a buffoon? / Stop / Where the fork is the forks at?”
The song will also feature AU a capella group Dime A Dozen.
Finding hope in a forkless place
Sitting outside the Davenport Coffee Lounge in “Maurice Sips Hot Coffee’ T-shirts and identical Ray-Bans, Tibbetts, Joseph and Gaines reflected on a possible solution: What if students brought their own forks?
“TDR is responsible for having forks,” Joseph said. “I don’t think I should have to bring a fork with me when I go to my own cafeteria.”
“You kind of expect something when you go to a dining hall,” Gaines said. “TDR is kind of the gourmet dining here, you know? You get everything you need. “
“It’s like when I go to Ruby Tuesday’s at home,” Joseph said.
“You don’t bring your own silverware when you go out to eat,” Tibbets said. “You don’t bring your own fork to Ruby Tuesday’s.”
They agreed the only solution was for TDR to step up its fork supply.
“The thing is, we know they can do it because when we go over to Tenley [Campus], they always have forks, knives,” Joseph said. “They’re a wonderful example for TDR.”
“Tenley Campus is a refreshing break from the struggles of TDR,” Tibbetts agreed.
“It is,” Gaines replied. “It’s incredible how happy the people there are.”
Citing the fact that AU is one of the most politically active campuses in the nation, Tibbetts said this is how the three sophomores are taking part in AU’s activist spirit.
“We want to be active in our own way,” Tibbetts said. “And this is a local way we thought we could make a difference, impact our students and make AU a better community.”
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