2012-02-28 "Napa College student clubs protest ban on food fundraisers" by Sarah Rohrs
[http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_20060016]
NAPA -- A member of the Napa Valley College Anthropology Club said it's unfair that her organization can't sell cupcakes and other food to raise money for club activities.
Jena Goodman and other students will hold a "No Bake, Bake Sale" from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. today and Wednesday in the McCarthy Library Plaza on campus.
Empty cupcake foils will be "sold" at the sale to protest the prohibition of food sales on the part of clubs on campus, she said.
Goodman said administrators have told club members they can't sell food on campus, though there is no actual policy in place.
"Food sales are the primary means for student clubs to fundraise," she said.
Representatives of the Inter-Club Council and Associated Students of Napa Valley College have requested meetings with the college administration in order to establish a food policy, but those sessions have been canceled, she said.
College Director of Community Relations Betty Malmgren said the closure of the cafeteria has made student club food sales an issue.
After the cafeteria closed food vendors and trucks were invited on campus to provide food and operate a cafe in the library on a pilot basis. The pilot program drew 15 vendors but now there are just seven, she said.
The college has a process by which student clubs can request to hold food sales on campus, Malmgren noted in a written statement.
However, compliance with health codes and requirements is a growing concern, according to John Nahlen, vice president of business and finance at the college.
Nahlen and other officials are reviewing procedures by which clubs could sell food with advanced notice.
Student leaders have no wish to jeopardize the financial viability of the cafe and outside vendors but believe there is room for clubs to sell food, too, Goodman said.
Through the protest, students hope college administrators will convene a meeting to draft a policy, and an immediate reversal on the prohibition of clubs selling food items.