The Aztec Shops Board of Directors may decide to change its bylaws to allow a Residence Hall Association representative to have a voting seat on the board. The change could be made at the next meeting, April 21.

The board decided at its Monday meeting to form a committee to address an RHA petition and resolution criticizing food quality and availability.

The petition, which was signed by more than 1,700 residence hall students, was started in early February by RHA President Jena Salda?a and the RHA Aztec Shops foods liaison Jason Rollingson.

After presenting the resolution and the 1-centimeter thick petition, Salda?a told the board that communication between the RHA and Aztec Shops “is one of the biggest problems.”

Salda?a also presented a list of long- and short-term goals the RHA wants to accomplish in conjunction with Aztec Shops by fall 1997. The first of the long-term goals is to evaluate the types of foods students complain about and have the foods committee decide if Aztec Shops should contract with a new vendor to provide that product.

As another long-term goal, the RHA wants Aztec Shops to work closely with resident advisers so the advisers can pass on meal-plan information to their residents.

The third long-term goal is to offer a healthy alternative meal at Courtyard Caf? each night.

Jeannette Macon, co-director of Aztec Shops, agreed with the goal of posting nutritional information.

“We should do a better job of marking and making available healthy foods. We do that during National Health Month; we should do that all year long,” she said.

The short-term goals, which the RHA would like to see implemented by the end of this semester, include granting the RHA a voting seat on the board.

Associated Students President Guillermo Mayer is the board member who suggested changing the bylaws to allow the creation of an RHA seat.

Jack Dement, chief financial officer of Aztec Shops, said members of the board have a responsibility to vote in the best interest of Aztec Shops. “It would be a conflict of interest for someone to represent one faction,” Dement said.

Mayer said members of the RHA would be a valuable asset once they gained more knowledge of Aztec Shops.

The second short-term goal is to post nutritional information near each food item, instead of near the entrance to each facility, where the values are currently posted.

The RHA also wants Aztec Shops to create a committee to evaluate meal plans once a year. The RHA resolution states that the current meal plan situation is too restrictive; students are limited to when they can eat and how much they can spend without having to pay out of their own pockets.

The committee would include the director of Aztec Shops Food Services, the director of Housing and Residential Life and three or more representatives from the RHA.

As the last of the short-term goals, the RHA wants Aztec Shops to post responses to comment cards within 24 hours of receiving the cards.

“(Students) really want to see an immediate result. Are (employees) throwing them away? Are they addressing them?” Salda?a said.

Harvey Goodfriend, general manager of Aztec Shops, said that if students have a problem with their food, they should let Aztec Shops employees know right away so something can be done quickly.

Salda?a also suggested having monthly open forums in the residence halls to find out what students want and to inform them about such services as sick trays and birthday cakes.

Salda?a said that one of the concerns in the resolution is that a representative of the RHA was not present during the initial planning stages of the East Commons renovation, which is supposed to begin in the fall of 1997. However, Laura Gropen, director of marketing for Aztec Shops, said an RHA representative was present at those meetings.

Salda?a said there are security issues she would have liked to have seen addressed, such as eastside residents walking to West Commons, where Courtyard Caf? will be moved next year. Salda?a also said RHA should have been consulted before Courtyard Caf? was moved to the west side of campus, since 62 percent of SDSU’s residents live on the east side.