Wendy’s should not be given space in the Union

TO THE EDITOR:

After speaking with multiple members of the Carolina Union Board of Directors, I understand that they are scheduled to vote on the addition of a Wendy’s restaurant today at 5:30 p.m.

As a concerned member of the community, I would like to voice my opposition to these plans.

A detailed case can be made against adding a Wendy’s (or any similarly destructive fast food mega-chain restaurant) to our campus.

But due to limited space, I will simply suggest that we should not add a Wendy’s to our Union because doing so would not be in harmony with the University’s commitment to environmental sustainability, social justice and public health.

With a little bit of research, it’s easy to discover the many ways that Wendy’s and similar dining establishments cause enormous amounts of unnecessary harm to people, animals and the environment.

The recent Oscar-nominated documentary film “Food, Inc.” explains these issues in an entertaining and powerful way, and is now widely available on DVD.

I encourage anyone who is interested in helping create a more just and sustainable university community to contact the members of the Union Board to respectfully express opposition to adding a Wendy’s or any similar restaurant to the Union.

The board members’ e-mail addresses and more information about Wendy’s can be found at www.uncFoodJusticeForum.weebly.com.



Loren Hart
UNC ’00