Dining halls are notoriously disliked in college campus culture, and Oberlin College is no different. Seton Hall University’s The Setonian, for example, discussed in 2025 how some students are dissatisfied with the lack of dining options provided to students with dietary restrictions. In more extreme cases, Binghamton University’s Young Democratic Socialists of America held a town hall last March for students to address an abundance of concerns, which included, but were not limited to, a lack of accommodation for those with dietary restrictions and a lack of health and safety precautions. The discussion isn’t much different at Oberlin College. Students’ problems with AVI Foodsystems run much deeper than just personal taste and quality. For many students, it puts their morals and health on the line. 

Many students with dietary restrictions feel left behind by AVI’s dining services, particularly as the allergen-friendly dining halls are no longer open every day of the week. On the official website for AVI, it is clear that the organization prides itself on its inclusive options.

“In collaboration with Oberlin College and Conservatory, we offer a wide range of flexible meal plans, designed for convenience and to fit every student’s needs,” the website reads.

These words contradict many students’ real dining experiences. Oberlin has three main dining halls, but only one of which, Clarity/Heritage Kosher Kitchen, strictly follows allergen and dietary guidelines. “Claritage” provides both plant and meat options, securely avoids all nine major allergens, and keeps kosher. However, Claritage is only open Sunday through Thursday and only serves lunch and dinner. Students with dietary restrictions are unable to get allergen-safe meals during other times of the day, while limited allergen-safe options at DeCafé and Stevenson Dining Hall make it even more difficult for students to adequately sustain themselves throughout the weekend. 

While all other dining options provide a limited selection of allergen-friendly options, it is hard to determine the absence of cross-contamination, as the AVI website does not provide information about their allergen-safe standards. Last spring, Stevenson Dining Hall and the Rathskeller were found to violate several health codes (“Health Inspection Finds Multiple Code Violations in Stevenson, Rathskeller,” The Oberlin Review, April 18, 2025). This proves that AVI’s dining options cannot be relied upon to nourish those with food allergies. 

As a person who cannot eat dairy and soy products, it was incredibly difficult for me to take in adequate nutrition while eating with AVI’s dining services. Aside from the food served in Claritage, most of the options at AVI facilities contain soy, even if the central component of the dish itself is not soy. This gave me very limited options at Stevenson Dining Hall and at DeCafé, and I was unable to trust Umami and the Rathskeller ingredients. Other Oberlin students, particularly those who are gluten-free or vegan, shared similar frustrations with a lack of options and ingredient transparency. 

“The bigger issue for me is the lack of options,” explained College second-year Beatrice Fish, a vegan of six years. “Some days I go to Stevie, and I can only eat sides or make a salad. DeCafé used to have a few options, but now there is only one wrap and PB&Js for me to eat.” 

AVI struggles with providing healthy, nutrient-rich options to vegetarians and vegans, but its struggle with more extreme allergens can become downright dangerous. College second-year Hazel Wilson, who is gluten-free for medical reasons, said that when she had to cut out gluten, she realized that everything provided by AVI is considered to be gluten-sensitive. AVI uses terms like “gluten sensitive” and “gluten friendly,” meaning that there will always be some amount of gluten in the food. These terms are classified by the National Celiac Association as non-legally defined or regulated labeling, which saves AVI from responsibility in cases of accidental poisoning or cross-contamination, but does not protect people with celiac or gluten allergies. 

College second-year Julia Harris is a vegetarian with various allergies, gluten being her main restriction, and finds her biggest issue to be the lack of inclusive options. 

“I have a lot of difficulty finding gluten-free options that are also vegetarian.” Harris said.

Some students with dietary restrictions opt to join OSCA rather than risk their restrictions with AVI, as OSCA can provide students with more transparency and control over what they eat, even if there are still not many options. 

“I would appreciate if there were more allergen-safe spaces other than OSCA,” double-degree third-year Alexis Mérane Hart, a member of the Third World Co-op, said. “If you have severe allergies, OSCA is your only totally safe bet, but I do think that AVI could be doing more.” 

College second-year Lucy Lebeck, another TWC member, joined OSCA because they felt that AVI did not provide enough nutritious vegetarian options. 

“[Due to the merging of Clarity and Heritage,] the only option for people who have one of [the top nine] allergens is to go to a co-op,” they said.

Considering how tuition rates are currently skyrocketing, students are essentially being charged a significant amount to be deprived of nutritious options. Oberlin needs to reopen an allergen-friendly dining hall with accessible hours so that students with dietary restrictions can feel nourished. But more importantly, AVI needs to be more transparent about its allergen-safe standards in order to protect the students they serve. Oberlin’s administration has undertaken cost-cutting measures that have impacted dining services; it’s unacceptable that this is at the expense of students who rely on AVI to get their daily nutrients. Having a consistently open, allergen-friendly dining hall will protect more students and make Oberlin more accessible for all.