By Anne Halliwell

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Students shouting “No outsourcing and no Sodexo!” were audible from the front entrance of the Main Building Monday afternoon as members of UK United Students Against Sweatshops protested UK dining privatization with a sit-in at President Eli Capilouto’s office.

The students held “Solidarity USAS” signs in support of the United Students Against Sweatshops and sported face paint to represent the ‘working undead.’

The students referenced the dining company Sodexo in their chants, because members of USAS think Sodexo is potentially on of the companies being considered during the negotiations.

“We’re zombies today because we’re representing the Kentucky promise, which is effectively dead if UK outsources,” said Brock Meade, a sociology junior.

Capilouto came through the seated assembly to shake hands at about 1 p.m. Shortly after he left the office, the USAS members resumed chants of “Hey, Eli! Step off it! Put people over profit!”

USAS has appeared on campus to protest privatization and increase awareness of potentially harmful contracts with certain companies, said Meade, a USAS member.

“The way we see it, Kentucky’s achievements don’t line up with the way Sodexo treats its workers,” Meade said.

The sit-in concluded at 5 p.m. when the office closed, and the administration was still non-committal about outsourcing, said Craig Crowder, a USAS member and Ph.D student in English.

UK spokesman Jay Blanton said that the dialogue surrounding dining services has been beneficial to maintaining relationships with UK employees and institutions.

Although UK cannot disclose the companies that have proposed contracts to UK, the university will publicize any corporate commitments, Blanton said.

Meade expressed concern that use of “Kentucky Proud” products would drop off when a contract was signed, as well as the potential for workers’ benefits to be cut.

“We’d like to remind administration that … there are a lot of unforeseen and foreseen problems with privatizing,” Meade said. “There’s no Kentucky pride or Kentucky promise in Sodexo.”

There were 118 UK dining employees in February who have been guaranteed job retention no matter the final decision Blanton said.

Concerns raised by student groups have ensured that steps were taken to preserve student employment opportunities as well, Blanton said, and to include the “Kentucky Proud” enterprise as well as the department of agriculture’s butcher shop.

“We want to maintain those partnerships and, in fact, find ways to enhance them,” Blanton said.

UK Board of Trustees member Jo Hern Curris expressed belief that UK dining should be given the opportunity to make its own case for continued employment in the same way that corporations are.

“From the beginning, I have been very much in support of the fact that our on-campus dining services (should) be given the chance to compete,” Curris said.

Curris questioned the feasibility of spending vast sums of money on a new dining contract, especially since, as she said, not many talks have been had about the possible detriments of privatizing.

“On this particular outsourcing, especially since we’ve had this tradition of Kentucky farming … that’s been there for decades, I think we need … to look at and be aware of the opportunity cost there,” Curris said.

Although outsourcing may end up being the best choice for the university, it is important to ensure that in-house dining has every opportunity to compete, Curris said.

“I think our side of this decision hasn’t really been considered seriously,” said Isabel Cochran, a USAS member and natural research and environmental sciences junior.

Blanton said that the option of keeping dining in-house is still being considered.

“I think we have heard and listened to the concerns very closely and have addressed many of them,” Blanton said.

“We’re pleasantly surprised, I think, that we’re welcomed here,” said history senior Jared Flanery, a USAS member.

Flanery said that he believes that prior public forums have shown attempted transparency, but said that students should be included in future discussion, especially the dining corporations in question are revealed.

Although the group would have liked to see an immediate reaction, the Lexington community has expressed support of the protests, Meade said.

USAS plans to continue its campaign Thursday in presenting a media package to administration and has also planned a rally at the Wildcat Alumni Plaza on May 1.

Blanton said that the goal is to honor students’ requests for better dining facilities in the most efficient way possible.

“At the end of the day, the desire of the university, and the responsibility, is to do what’s best for the students,” Blanton said.