Some Jewish and Muslim students living on campus report that following kosher dietary restrictions can be challenging and the University Dinning Program does not provide adequate support.

Benjamin Mazur, a Jewish student and sophomore in statistics, said he is frustrated with the lack of variety and believes that it is time the administration provides more options.

Mazur, vice president of Hillel, the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, said sticking to a kosher diet can often be difficult, and some students are forced to eat only the vegetarian foods provided by the dining halls.

However, he said he understands the difficulties in providing kosher options.

“We can’t expect the dining halls to have special food set aside, because kosher food is often more expensive,” Mazur said.

Mazur said the dining staff is often confused when he inquires about the ingredients in the dishes they serve.

“People at the counter just don’t understand,” Mazur said. “They look at me like, ‘Why does is matter?'”

Sarah Oraby, outreach coordinator for the Muslim Students Association, said the dining staff has always been helpful and accommodating.

“Usually I just ask them, and they are always willing to find out if there is pork in the food,” Oraby, senior in biomedical engineering, said.

Oraby said she sometimes has trouble finding a satisfying meal, but she has always been able to work around it.

“Sometimes it can be slightly inconvenient, but I wouldn’t say it’s a problem” Oraby said. “I improvise, I guess.”

Rachel Kasten, president of Hillel, said the amount of difficulty students experience in finding acceptable food is proportional to their level of religious observance.

“It’s impossible to keep strictly kosher,” Kasten, a senior in sociology, said. “If you are very observant, you can’t eat out at all.”

Mazur said he explained these problems to several administrative officials, but they not yet made changes to the dining menus.

“The administration says they want to fix this problem, but it isn’t high on their priority list,” Mazur said.

Randy Lait, business officer for University Dining, said although he has discussed the issue of kosher foods with other members of the dinning staff, he has never heard a formal complaint.

“I’ve never had anyone come to me and say ‘What are we going to do about kosher food?'” Lait said.

Mazur and Kasten said they would like to see a kosher-sensitive kitchen on campus where Jewish and Muslim students could go to prepare food in an acceptable way.

“It would certainly be nice to see a separate kitchen on campus, because it could accommodate people of both these faiths,” Kasten said.

Lait said he would be open to any student requests, but is not sure how much the University can accommodate their needs.

“I’d be willing to sit down with any student that has a need and work to see what solutions are possible,” Lait said.

Oraby said she will be content as long as the dining hall provides an adequate, kosher alternative to a nonkosher meal.

“I would like to see an equal balance,” Oraby said. “It would be nice as long as they have some good alternate food.”