On Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Coffee Shop added new kosher and halal meal options. When visiting the Coffee Shop, barista Celia Moore (‘22) suggested, “I think they’re trying to expand options to vegetarians and vegans.” She also mentioned that in Stetson’s Dining Services, there has been a progression to the inclusiveness of dining, first adding gluten-free items, then more vegan items like the vegan breakfast burritos, and then “everything we could think of to include.” Moore continued, “we’ve had a lot of people complain about not having a lot of options.”

But the addition of kosher and halal meals to the Coffee Shop is intended for more than appeasing the complaints of students. For Dining Services, it is about accommodating students of different faith traditions. Kosher and halal are dietary restrictions that are in according with their faith traditions and laws in Judiasm and Islam, respectively.

Lana Kolchinsky (‘22) is an interfaith values fellow who, along with three other students and Assistant Director of Interfaith Initiatives Lindsey Carelli, collaborated with Stetson Dining Services in order to give more options for students who follow diverse faith traditions. Kolchinsky herself follows a kosher-style diet.

Stetson was once a Baptist-affiliated university until 1995. Breaking those ties in certain ways allowed for more religious diversity on campus. Kolchinsky discussed that there has been an increase in students from Saudi Arabia and by adding halal food, their capacity to host students from Saudi Arabia improves. 

For Kolchinsky, adding kosher and halal food to the Coffee Shop is more than just about responding to complaints of students: it is “quite important for us to prepare for the future” for more diverse students with different faith backgrounds. In regards to the popularity of the food, Kolshinsky hopes that, “supply will create a demand” when it comes to students purchasing the foods.

Kosher and halal foods can be purchased from the Coffee Shop with Hatter Bucks, cash or credit. They are located inside of the frozen section of the refrigerators.