GFF College Dining Survey Responses

Providence College

Providence

Rhode Island

Colleges

Survey Date:

Nov 22, 2022

Survey 1 of 1

Student:

Senior

With:

Celiac Disease

Student's Summary Assessment:

College Dining:

C-

Surrounding Area:

A+

Rationale for Grades Given

Very limited options, lack of care for students with celiac. Whenever I brought up my concerns I was disregarded.

So many places to eat in PVD: Places that deliver: Bettola, Nami, Diegos, Chic Fil a, Pho Horns, Jersey Mikes, Chipotle, Howies, Coffee Connection, Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, much of Federal Hill Italian

Details About this Student's Food Restrictions

How many years ago were you diagnosed with food allergies or celiac disease?

1-3

If you indicated celiac or gluten intolerance, how sensitive are you to gluten?

Very: React to small amounts

Add details to help us better understand your food restrictions (e.g. sensitivity level, potential reaction, need for EPI pen)

Celiac disease means I have a strict diet with absolutely no gluten. If I eat gluten, I will be extremely nauseous for several days and be in a lot of pain.

Details About this Student's College Dining Experience

Does your college handle food restrictions as you expected when you decided to attend?

Mostly not what I expected

Have you had a reation from eating in your dining hall?

YES

If Yes, describe each incident and how your school responded

My school apologized but made no changes and did not seem to care much going forward.

Did you register your food restriction with the disabilities office? If yes, describe

Yes. i am registered with the disability services.

Are there resources to help with nutritious, safe dining (e.g. dietician)? If yes, describe

There is a dietician, but she was really no help at all, led me into trouble (eating things I shouldn't have because things changed in the dining hall and I was not informed) and did not understand celiac enough to work at a dining hall. My interactions with the chefs have been very helpful in finding out which foods were safe and which were not.

If you were in charge of dining, what would you change? Would your school be open to suggestions?

I would train staff to understand what allergies mean, and I would get more allergy-free food that the students can eat: better tasting, more options, no shortages.

Describe your biggest challenge managing your food restrictions at college and how you deal with it

Lack of options and no help from staff. The school did not care. To fix this I got to have my car on campus to go out and get food instead.

Advice for Incoming Students:

Housing:

Did your food restrictions impact your housing decisions? Any dorm recommendations

Yes. I needed a dorm with a kitchen.

Dining Halls:

Any advice for managing dining halls? Favorite dining halls? Any to avoid?

I would recommend asking lots of questions, and do not be afraid to inconvenience people. It is your comfort and safety. Ray Dining Hall has the most options, but they run out frequently. Has gotten better over the years. Alumni dining hall has hardly anything and Eaton ST. Cafe has nothing for celiac.

Meal Plans:

Describe your meal plans over the year(s). What's mandatory? Any suggestions?

I had a meal plan for the first two years, and my third year I went completely off of it.

Dorms:

Any advice for eating in the dorms? Favorite snacks? Places that deliver?

Get a dorm with a kitchen and start to learn to cook, it will be a huge help. Get doordash and Ubereats

Getting Started:

What should students do before school starts or when they first arrive?

Talk to disability services and Dining Services.

Socializing:

Advice on managing parties or dinners out with friends?

Get food to eat late night when everyone else orders Mcdonalds and food trucks. This was an odd yet really hard adjustment for me.

Other:

Any other advice or comments?

I would not necessarily recommend Providence College if you have Celiac. They unfortunately do not care enough about allergy kids to have sufficient options.

Meal Plans: