All made-to-order meals and items served in our residential dining facilities will be accompanied by a nutrition card identifier that displays ingredient information and an allergen statement.
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.
Soup and hot cereal stations have ingredient information and allergen statements posted on nutrition card identifiers located at the station.
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.
3. We have procedures in place to lower the risk of cross-contact in made-to-order areas.
4. We have procedures in place to lower the risk of cross-contact in self-serve areas.
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.
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.
Topics covered in training include, but are not limited to:
-definition of a food allergy and food intolerance
-Top 8 Allergen Foods
-Allergen-free vs. Allergen Friendly
-Food allergy reactions, symptoms, and anaphylaxis
-University Dining Services Policies
-Allergen food labeling
-Preventing cross-contact
-How to accommodate guests with food allergies
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.
9. We train our RA's.
Students are recommended to talk to staff involved in program preparation. They may also request food label information.
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.
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.
Employment accommodations should be submitted to the Office of Compliance, Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action.
If you are a student enrolled in courses at the Kent Campus, have a documented disability, and are requesting disability-related accommodations, your first step is to register with SAS. The SAS office engages in an interactive process with each student and reviews requests for accommodations on a case-by-case basis.
You can register with SAS at any time during the semester, but we recommend you do so prior to the start of your first semester at Kent State University. In most cases, accommodations are not applied retroactively which is why we recommend completing your registration with our office early. Some accommodations (e.g. housing needs, closed-captioned videos) take additional time to put in place so please make sure to plan accordingly.
12. Our disability office processes food allergy and celiac disease accommodation requests.
Monday-Thursday 8am-6pm
Friday 9:30am-5pm
See what health services we offer >
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.
Paramedics are first responders and do carry epinephrine. Police Officers do not carry epinephrine.
14. Our campus emergency responders carry epinephrine.