1970, the year postage stamps were a mere six cents, the voting age was lowered to 18 and discussions on who would be allowed to work at the dining hall at Keene State College continued.
In a previous edition of The Equinox (then, The Monadnock), it stated that the only students who could work in the dining hall were those with a contract meal plan.
These talks began because two students at this time confronted Dean of Students Thomas D. Aceto. These students, James Roy and Donald Belcourt, brought up the point that this policy was discriminatory against students without the access to meal tickets.
Tim Smith / Photo Editor
According to the article by Mike O’Leary, “Belcourt, a commons employee, the committee discussion showed support for the concept that all students should be eligible for employment at the Commons. He said the committee seemed inclined to adopt the position that all non-meal contract workers should eat at the commons during the meals that they work.”
The article then went on to say that the Dean of Women Ruth W. Keddy said she thought and wanted to make sure Dean Aceto accepted the recommendation that “both meal contract and non-meal contract people should be eligible for employment.”
The next discussion would revolve around that recommendation and at the committee meeting that whether or not the student had a meal card, he or she would still be able to eat during their shifts.
In modern day 2017, the students who work at the dining hall are eligible whether they have a meal plan or not, and according to the Sodexo my way website, “Working with us gives you the flexibility to earn extra income with the convenience of being on campus. This is a great place to make friends and learn new skills as we work with you around your class schedule.”
Mary Curtin can be contacted at mcurtin@kscequinox.com
