Chartwells vs. charity
The student battle against the mass tendering of cafeterias took a new turn last week. The McGill chapter of Engineers Without Borders was informed that selling donuts and pizza to raise money for charity violated McGill's exclusive agreement with Chartwells.
"The Engineering Undergraduate Office received a phone call from [Director of Food Services] Mr. Bill Pageau making a complaint about the fact that we were allowing groups to sell food at the kiosk," said Shane Saunderson, EUS vice-president internal affairs.
The EUS forwarded Pageau's concerns to Jonathan Rousham, the building administrator for the Macdonald Engineering building.
"The space does not actually belong to us," Saunderson said. "It is held by the Faculty of Engineering."
EUS executives did not feel that they had the authority to deal with the issue, as it was not a formal complaint against them. Rousham stressed that Pageau made the initiative on his own behalf and without malice.
"[Pageau] was acting in his capacity as an agent of [Ancillary Services]," Rousham said. "He was acting in good faith to follow through on the exclusive agreement that McGill has with Chartwells."
Pageau could not be reached for comment.
The agreement that Chartwells has with McGill is an exclusive agreement that makes it the only company supplying food in the building.
Rousham stressed the difference between food sales and fundraisers. Student volunteers man the kiosk in question and all proceeds go to the EWB's Scala program, which aids impoverished Filipinos.
"We both agreed that there is no meaningful competition with the cafeteria [from these endeavours]," Rousham said. "EUS is a cherished organization within this faculty. We support them and their interests and want to encourage students to be self-sufficient and form entrepreneurship skills."
The EUS and EWB are continuing sales, with the support of the Engineering faculty, until they hear otherwise from the administration.
