Before the first piece of food could even be thrown, plans for a food fight at Ohio State’s North Commons dining hall were stopped cold.
Students created a Facebook group to spread the word about a food fight that was to occur at 5 p.m. Friday. A reporter from The Lantern, investigating the situation, brought the plan to the attention of dining management, asking if they were aware of the planned fight.
North Commons management looked for the group on Facebook, but were unable to find it, said Tim Keegstra, associate director of
Dining Services. Management posted signs at the dining hall addressing the rumors of the food fight and stated that students involved in the fight would be held accountable by the university.
Later, faculty members of OSU’s Office of Student Life found the Facebook event, despite its private setting. Students who started the group were warned about the punishment they would receive if they carried through with their plan.
“The message has gotten through, but I guess we’ll see,” Keegstra said about 10 minutes before the planned time of the food fight.
In the end, it was dinner as usual.
Mark Newton, executive chef of residence dining, credited the snow for the food fight idea.
“It’s been snowy and [students] are getting rambunctious from being stuck inside,” Newton said. “So I don’t blame them for coming up with the idea.”
Keegstra said he hopes this is a learning experience for students.
“We hope students learn that Facebook isn’t as private as they think,” he said.
Brendan Hance, a second-year in molecular genetics, was dining at North Commons during the planned time of the food fight, but was not aware of the Facebook group.
“I would have probably stayed away from here if I knew about it,” Hance said.
“That’s a waste of food,” said Terry Banks, a first-year in biochemistry.
He also didn’t know about the group, but said if students started the fight, they should be punished.
Keegstra said he has been working for residence dining for 23 years. During that time, only one food fight has taken place.
“We had to close the place for a day,” Keegstra said. “All night [we] were scrubbing the ceilings, the floor, everything.”
Newton said it is all in the business of working with students.
“This wouldn’t happen at fine dining,” he said. “But it’s part of the fun of serving students.”
As of Sunday afternoon, dining management said North Commons had been food fight-free over the weekend.
