We will make ingredient information available every opportunity we can. Customers are encouraged to ask questions of any staff member while dining with the expectation of receiving an informed answer. Managers are always available to answer questions in our Dining Centers.
We encourage all dining students to self advocate and inform servers of special dietary needs. When severe allergies exist, we encourage our students to meet with our Registered Dietitian and create a plan for dining safely on campus.
1. We provide access to ingredient information for made-to-order* items. *Made-to-order - Meals that are prepared on request and to your specification in the dining hall. Examples include a sandwich station, omelet station, burrito station, etc.
Beverages, Salad Bar and Deli daily standard offerings are available under our Daily Standards tab on our website. Specialty salads available on the salad bars and soups available at the soup station are listed with ingredients on our mobile app. If a building offers anything not on the menu, it is marked with a RED ! to indicate the menu item has not been reviewed by our Dietitian.
Risk of cross contamination is greater in all self serve areas. Students with severe allergies are encouraged to come to our kitchen for product handled only by our staff to insure they have food we can ensure has not been cross contaminated accidentally by a customer.
2. We provide access to ingredient information for self-serve* items. *Self-serve - Meals that are served buffet-style in a dining hall. These are typically high risk for cross-contact and are best avoided by diners with food allergies.
All employees are instructed to respond to customers who indicate they have an allergy or special dietary request with the following: repeat request for understanding, change gloves and use clean utensils and cutting board to prepare the food item. If necessary, request help from kitchen staff to acquire fresh unused containers of food for preparation. Utensils are assigned for each specific food item to avoid cross contamination by our employees. Nuts are offered in separate covered containers and stored away from other food sources. Prep areas are organized with items like cheese stored away from meats as much as space allows.
3. We have procedures in place to lower the risk of cross-contact in made-to-order areas.
Self Serve areas are at a higher risk for cross contamination. We always recommend if you have a severe allergy, please ask for assistance to receive food from our kitchen to avoid possible cross contamination. We also recommend students with allergies or special dietary requests meet with our Registered Dietitian to develop a plan initially when arriving on campus for the first time. Our Dietitian is a valuable resource for these students throughout their college career.
4. We have procedures in place to lower the risk of cross-contact in self-serve areas.
All pre-order meals must be pre-approved by our Registered Dietitian. She reviews the process with the student. Ordering is done online with time parameters and multiple food options. In extreme cases, our dietitian will work with students to create personalized menus. Medical documentation is required for such cases.
5. We have pre-order meals* available. *Pre-order meals - Custom meals that can be ordered in advance by a diner so they are ready for pick up at a specific time. Typically these can be ordered online or by phone/text.
We also provide a variety of alternative milk options in a table top refrigerator for students to choose from. This has soy milk, almond milk, Lactose free dairy option; all in their own labeled original containers with very little chance of cross contamination. This refrigerator also has chia seed pudding available that we make for students.
6. We have an allergy-friendly station*. *Allergy-friendly station - A food station where specific ingredients are banned, typically including many or all items in the Top 8 allergens and gluten.
All of the above are covered in training
Our Dining Services staff is committed to making all students' dining experience exemplary. We focus on making our dining program safe, enjoyable for our customers, healthy options, and an environment where all are free to socialize and collaborate with each other. We encourage our inclusivity by providing what our students need in the dining center of their choice.
7. We train dining services staff members.
8. We have a registered dietitian* on staff. *Registered dietitian - Registered dietitians are food and nutrition experts who are often tasked with helping students with food allergies navigate the dining halls.
all of the above
9. We train our RA's.
Students inform the organizer of events of special dietary needs when food is being offered. Both Dining Centers and our Catering department on campus will provide special meals at all our events.
We encourage students with special dietary needs to share information in advance with their room mate, RA and RD so they are better able to handle situations if an emergency arises.
10. We have inclusive resident life programs* including food. *Inclusive resident life programs - Programs in the resident halls often include food. Inclusive resident life programs will offer students with food allergies the opportunity to request safe food alternatives for events they attend in the dorms.
Living on campus provides students with a college experience beyond the class room. The friendships formed and memories made are priceless.
11. We offer accommodations for roommate assignments. *Every accommodation request is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. A housing accommodation cannot be guaranteed prior to an individual evaluation.
Mary Walker Health Center or Auxiliary Services via Kathryn Szklany
Online, in Writing, In Person, or by phone
SUNY Oswego's campus community will support all students to achieve academic success and individual needs. Departments cooperate across campus to share resources to fully accommodate our student needs to the fullest extent possible.
12. Our disability office processes food allergy and celiac disease accommodation requests.
See what health services we offer >
SAVAC is a student volunteer emergency service on campus.
13. We have stock, undesignated epinephrine* available for emergency response. *Stock, undesignated epinephrine - Epinephrine that is prescribed to a college or university rather than to a particular student. This epinephrine is kept on hand to use for any student that experiences anaphylaxis.
SAVAC does
14. Our campus emergency responders carry epinephrine.
See what our emergency response policy allows for >