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We all know the feeling: you’re sitting in the last lecture just before lunch, feeling slightly (okay, let’s not lie and say very) hangry and conspicuously checking out what Polymensa has to offer for today’s lunch. It is fair to say (at least in my opinion), that food plays a big part during one’s studies, as all that hard thinking and studying needs to be fuelled with a well-balanced diet. And everyone knows how well you can study when you are hungry and just longing for your well-deserved lunch break…
As a result, ETH canteens are an important part of a student’s life at ETH, not only to satisfy the basic human need for food, but also as a place to meet and take a break. Therefore, the increase in prices for all menus was obviously met with a certain amount of dissatisfaction and questioning within the student body. If you find yourself among those dissatisfied students, you might be curious about the factors contributing to this price hike and the extent of VSETH’s involvement in the decision-making process. So let me explain and shed some light on these questions!
To ensure that the voices of students, scientific, and faculty staff are heard in the gastronomic offerings at ETH, a Gastronomy Commission exists. This commission is made up of representatives from various factions, including VSETH, AVETH (Association of Scientific Staff), PeKo (Staff Commission), KdL (Lecturers’ Conference), and the Rector, all led by ETH Vice President for finance. Gastronomy businesses are also invited to commission meetings to report on developments and topics such as the menu, sustainability, and prices – including the recent price adjustments – are covered in these meetings.
The reason for the price increase were inflation and the need to make up for losses incurred during the pandemic, coupled with the continuing low number of special events such as aperitifs. VSETH took a stance against the price increase, and our full statement is available on the VSETH website. Our primary focus was on maintaining the affordability of the cheapest, vegetarian option, and we succeeded in limiting the increase to CHF 0.50, as opposed to the initially proposed CHF 1. Unfortunately, the CHF 1 increase could not be avoided for all other meals.
Hopefully this article has now shed some light on the reasons behind the increase and answered some of the questions you may have had. If you have any further questions or would like to know more about topics such as these, then reach out to hopo@vseth.ethz.ch!
