For ages, the food in Harvard's dining halls has been the subject of constant student jokes.

But in the past couple of weeks, Harvard students and administrators seem to have started giving more serious attention to Harvard Dining Services.

When Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III attended a panel discussion on student life during Junior Parents Weekend, he said he was surprised at the extent of student dissatisfaction with the dining service.

Last Sunday, when President Derek C. Bok attended the Undergraduate Council meeting, several members asked him about the possibilities for making changes in the current meal plan.

And the next day, members of the council met with dining services representatives to discuss student complaints about Harvard's food.

Based on the junior parents' panel discussion, Epps said he would seek ways to meet student demands for an improved meal system by reinstating the House Food Committees--groups of under-graduates who regularly discuss student concerns with dining services representatives.

But many students complain that Harvard's dining service has perennial problems which further discussion may never address.

They complain about small servings, "illegal combinations," and the long lines for mediocre quality food. They complain about missing lunch or dinner hours for classes or other commitments. They complain that the 12 houses and Union all offer the same food each day and that the menus lack variety.

And they complain that, compared to the other Ivy League schools, Harvard's food service just doesn't stack up.

What We've Got

Harvard's meal plan is fairly simple: every undergraduate living on campus must purchase a 21-meal-per-week plan. This year's plan cost $2275. According to officials, this figure is based on the estimate that the average student will eat approximately 14 of 21 weekly meals.

Using the money students pay for board, Harvard Dining Services' nearly 600 employees serve the 13 Houses and the Freshman Union--this year with a budget of $17,822,200.

Assistant Director of Dining Services Dale M. Hennessey says the department's mission is "to provide high quality food and courteous service in a pleasant atmosphere to the end that all we serve obtain maximum satisfaction from our service."

"Students are the most important people in our business," says Hennessey. "We wouldn't be here if you weren't."

According to Hennessey, the dining service has established a variety of ways to get outside input on Harvard's food. A visiting committee of Harvard's Board of Overseers eats in the dining halls about once a month and provides suggestions. The department also tries to respond to comments made by students to the servers and managers in the dining halls.

The department is always open to input, says Hennessey, adding that it does try to incorporate new suggestions into the menu.

"For the most part, I think the menus reflect what the students want," says Hennessey. "I don't think the students are aware about how much we really do care. We're here to provide a service."

Despite the efforts of the department, though, students continue to grumble daily about their dining experiences.

"The portions are too small. It's ridiculous that the main entree is limited and you can eat as much salad as you want," says Chad H. Barker '93.

Another student adds, "The quality of the food is never that good. It seems like almost everyday there's some form of chicken. Its obvious that whatever was served the night before is transformed into the next day's entree. Beef tips one day, beef stew the next day."

And another student says, "My brother went to Cornell, and you should see what they have there..."

What We Haven't Got

With 12 different voluntary meal plans, some type of food available from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and the lowest cost-per-meal in the Ivy League, Cornell is well-known for its dining system.

And while other schools don't offer as many different meal options, only Yale has a system as rigid as Harvard's.

The other Ivies run the range from Princeton, which offers two plans--one with 14 meals per week and the other with 20--to Cornell.

"Every school that has the standard 20 plan really has to look at it and ask `is this the best for us?' Usually, it is, from a financial standpoint, since everyone buys it," says Mark Robillard, Director of Housing at Boston University. "Unfortunately, the student eating 12 meals a week is subsidizing the student eating 20."

It is because of this built-in inequity that most schools now offer students some measure of choice in the number of meals they purchase each week.

But a variable meal plan could endanger the sense of community which the house system tries to provide, administrators say.

Epps and other administrators say that they are concerned that if they offered a variable meal plan, fewer students would eat in the dining halls. "You would weaken the house system," says Epps.

Food service officials and other Harvard administrators agree that the priority for the dining services must be to work within the framework of the 12-house system and not to make changes which could jeopardize the effectiveness of that system.

In addition, Harvard administrators say they fear a variable meal plan may add a class bias to the food system.

"I like the simplicity of the Harvard plan," says Epps. "Students always have the option of eating and it does not make distinctions based on what they can afford."

More Informed Consumers

But Clark E. DeHaven, executive director of the National Association of College and University Food Services, says today's average student is a more informed consumer. He adds that there is a national trend in college dining services toward offering students more choice.

"More students are expressing an interest in what they are eating and where their money is going. More and more are saying, `charge me for what I eat,'" says DeHaven:

As a result, many colleges are offering students more flexibility in terms of board plans as well as scheduled meal hours, dining locations, and different menus.

"Students want choices and they're used to choice. It helps their satisfaction level," says Lois J. Ohms, assistant manager of food services at Stanford.

While most schools have variable plans, only Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania give students a choice about whether to be on a meal plan at all.

"I want students on our meal plan who want to be our customers," says William J. Canney, director of dining services at Penn. Dining halls there feature sundaes, frozen yogurt and milkshakes every night. Sandwiches are made to order and whole meats sliced to order.

Lobster Dinners?

Many schools which require students to purchase a meal plan offer what is known as a point system. In this system, students buy a number of points at the beginning of a semester and use these points as money to buy meals. After each meal, a certain number of points are deducted from the student's balance.

Under this "declining balance system," points are deducted either for each item purchased in a-la-carte fashion or for an entire all-you-can-eat meal, depending on the dining hall and the college.

Columbia, Dartmouth, MIT and the University of Vermont (UVM) are among many colleges that offer this system to their students. Officials at these colleges find that most students prefer the point system to the traditional board plan.

Many administrators, however, have also experienced problems with the point system. Some find that first-year students unaccustomed to the idea end up spending all their points and are forced to buy more.

Tufts Dining Services say they experienced a significant decrease in revenue. And officials at MIT are concerned that fewer students are using their points in resident dining halls and more are eating at the student center.

In an effort to avoid these problems, many universities are experimenting with a combination of the traditional board plan and the point system. Boston University, Stanford, Tufts, MIT and North-eastern are among a number of colleges offering such combination board plans.

Boston University decided to switch from a 20 meal per week board plan similar to Harvard's system to a combination system in 1984. In their system--dubbed Budget Plus--students are guaranteed a certain number of meals a week and also have a declining balance of meal points to use. In addition, meals on the regular board plan can be converted into points for use at other locations.

"We're happy with the program. It's given us the flexibility to offer more items to our students that you can't afford with the just regular program," says Patricia K. Bedrosian, associate director of dining services. For example, she says, B.U. was able to offer students a lobster dinner one night.

"To keep students happy you need a progressive dining service. You can't do that by regimenting--by telling them when, where and what to eat," says Bedrosian.

So many schools are offering students a broad range of on-and off-campus dining choices which can all be paid for through the school meal plan.

MIT gives students the option to use their meal cards at four residential dining halls, a full-service restaurant, a food mall offering a variety of options at their student center and even for pizza delivery.

B.U. now offers 11 a-la-carte operations in addition to their five residence dining halls and snack bars. And many colleges, such as Cornell, also offer different menus at each dining hall.

And while a major concern about a points system is that the risks of losing money are too great, officials at many schools say that the financial concern is misplaced.

"Students like it more, and they still spend the money," says Ronald L. Hiser, the financial manager at Dartmouth's dining services.

In addition to diversifying student choices about the kinds of food they eat, many colleges are trying to give students more choices about when they can eat their meals.

Northeastern, Cornell, Tufts, MIT, B.U. and UVM are a few of the schools which offer continuous dining service in at least one location from early in the morning to late at night.

Preserving the House System

But while many schools have made these kinds of changes in their meal plans, Harvard administrators say the types of plans which other schools use will not work here.

When explaining why changing the meal plan is not a good solution to student complaints about Harvard's food, administrators cite the physical limitations of the College's current kitchen facilities and staff, the financial risks of many of the plans--particularly the point system--and the importance of maintaining the house system.

"It is almost impossible to compare Harvard with other colleges. It's like comparing apples and oranges," says Hennessey. "Harvard is unique because of the house system--that's not an excuse, it's just fact."

And while Epps has asked Director of Dining Services Frank J. Weissbecker to revive the House Food Committees, he says he does think Harvard's single-plan system works well.

"The key to good service is constant discussion with undergraduate groups," says Epps.

Meanwhile, it seems unlikely that Harvard will make any big changes to the current meal system. While administrators acknowledge that other school's meal plans may be more diverse, they say Harvard's system has benefits which the others cannot offer.

"The Harvard system exudes a more personal level in a dining service--students aren't just another face in a large cafeteria," says Hennessey. "There's probably not a door checker or server who doesn't know most of their students."

But as Bok said at the Undergraduate Council meeting last Sunday, "There's always the possibility that you could come up with a better idea. You shouldn't let it drop if you're interested."