Students should be cautiously excited about Tuesday’s announcement that UK will privatize its dining services.

On one hand, it means multimillion-dollar renovations to services that some students find stale and lacking. On the other, it could be unfavorable for student employment and even food choices.

President Eli Capilouto has already made some great choices to ensure that the change is favorable.

The administration has stipulated that the chosen vendor must keep all full-time dining employees as of February 2013, with the same salaries and same benefits.

That’s a wonderful first step, but the university should push to ensure that all employees, future and present, are taken care of and paid well, not just those hired in the past.

The administration also has said that serving local food is a priority, and that ties with programs like Kentucky Proud will only be strengthened by the privatization of dining. That’s a fantastic promise, and one the Kernel hopes is kept.

Serving local food keeps jobs in the Bluegrass, and makes sure food is fresher and safer. It also slashes shipping costs and the university’s carbon footprint.

Community is important to Kentuckians, and UK is expanding its own dramatically by building new residence halls. New and current students living on campus need to be fed, and fed well.

As it stands, students and Kentuckians do not know whom the university is considering or the details of any contracts on the table.

UK spokesman Jay Blanton said the names of bidding companies are not released so that UK gets the best deal.

But we think it is important for students, faculty and staff to know which companies are under consideration and the terms of their bids.

Once a decision is made, there is no going back. No matter which vendor is chosen, it will have a goal that every other business has: to make money. The Kernel hopes that the university and the vendor will keep in mind the interests of its students, not just making a profit.

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