Dining Expenses Increase

Rising expenses have hit most Ivy League colleges, a CRIMSON poll has shown. With the continually increasing costs of labor and materials, dining hall directors in these colleges all expect increased board charges in the very near future, Carle T. Tucker, director of the Harvard Dining Hall Department, predicted recently.

"There is no doubt in my mind that expenses will continue to rise in the future," the director of dining facilities at the University of Pennsylvania commented, while the General Manager of Food Service at Columbia has stated, "One would be unrealistic not to expect expenses to rise in the near future." Labor expenses are the greatest factor in board hikes.

Harvard has the highest pay scale in the entire Ivy League, perhaps even in the nation. For example, unskilled laborers receive $1.35 per hour plus certain free meals here; at Columbia, the comparable hourly rate in $1.05. In addition, the Harvard pay scale is based upon a 40-hour week, while Yale, which pays the second-highest wages among these schools, goes on the basis of a 48-hour week.

The Dining Hall Department cannot change the hourly pay rates, Tucker pointed out, since the union contract establishing the scale is decided by the Bureau of Personnel for the entire University. Tucker's administration must accept this rate, and consequently a new wage contract often causes a rise in board fees.

Other Colleges Forbid Seconds

Harvard stands alone in its policy of unlimited second food servings. Yale forbids second servings on sirloin steak, roast beef, or lamb chops, plus some fruit juices or salads; other colleges forbid students to obtain any additional helpings without payment.

The policies of the Dining Hall Department have recently come under scrutiny because of the proposed increase in board rates. Although the College already has the highest board charge among Ivy League colleges, the Department states emphatically another hike is necessary.