Completed Burnell Hall to Include Halal Café
BSU is preparing to expand its dining options this January with The Halal Shack opening alongside Burnell Hall’s completion. Selected by a student survey, the café will feature customizable Middle Eastern and Mediterranean wraps and bowls prepared in accordance with Islamic dietary restrictions. The café is expected to be open 11am–7pm weekdays
Muslim students currently have limited dining options at BSU, with only a few food stations on campus serving halal, meaning permissible under Islamic law, food. This requires specific cleaning practices, a religious invocation when butchering animals, and restrictions on consuming pork or alcohol.
While halal accommodations currently exist, “Finding compliant [dining] options can often be stressful,” according to Omar Mustafa, president of BSU’s Muslim Student Union. The few meal stations serving halal meat share their kitchens with stations that serve non-halal items, which Mustafa said can raise concerns of cross-contamination for Muslim students. Jason King, general manager of Sodexo, declined to comment on current halal options, but confirmed that café will be required to follow halal standards.
“Having a dedicated halal café takes away that constant worry and will give students total peace of mind,” said Mustafa. He added that in the future, he’d like to work with the school to improve conditions for Muslim students, and see increased visibility and accommodations, such as dedicated prayer rooms across campus, or BSU hijabs at the campus bookstore.
The idea for a café came together over the past decade, as BSU planned for Burnell Hall to support night students in the College of Education and Health Professions. A poll of 338 graduate and commuter students selected The Halal Shack with 30% of the vote. Alternatives were Moe’s Southwest Grill (23%), Einstein Bros. Bagels (19%), Freshii (18%), and Jimmy John’s (10%).
