Halal on Campus a Joint Effort

By Connect Mason Reporter Rachael Dickson

Presidential candidate Anna Godlewski stated that she helped bring halal meat to Mason’s campus in Thursday’s debate. In a later segment of the debate, when vice presidential candidate Chris Hild questioned her on her involvement in this, Godlewski stated that she worked with several people on the project, additionally saying, “You should not take credit where credit is not due.” Hild’s response was that it was Senator Ryan Bloomfield who brought halal to campus.

How much involvement did Godlewski have in bringing halal to Mason?

Senator Ryan Bloomfield, who spearheaded the project from the beginning, said, “Anna was a key actor in helping me pressure the administration to implement the project and then following up after I left the project to ask for more.”

Bloomfield said that Godlewski became involved after he had brought multiple student organizations together to back the resolution to get halal meat on campus. According to Bloomfield, she was with him in every meeting he had with Dining Services administrators, including Executive Director Gregg Toney and Operation Director Rodney Miller, and participated in all the initial and follow-up meetings.

Bloomfield stayed on the project until halal meat began being offered in the Johnson Center Bistro, at which point he said that Godlewski and Senator Lena Mualla, along with the Student Services committee of Student Senate, took over.

“To be honest I am not clear what happened after she took over the project, but it is obvious that Anna and Lena were central to getting the Indian Food restaurant that serves halal in the JC food court,” Bloomfield said, referring to new restaurant Sangam.

Godlewski further elaborated on her role with bringing halal to campus, saying that she helped Bloomfield and Mualla with reports, setting up the meetings and food-tastings.

“I mentored them a lot along the way,” Godlewski said. “I would give them recommendations as to how to keep the stakeholders involved and motivated. From there, once we proved to [the administration] that there was a need for it, it was just a matter of going through the steps of finding a venue.”