Loyola’s Suhoor Initiative Faces Criticism

Ramadan began March 1 and for students living on campus, the school has offered suhoor — pre-dawn meal — in conjunction with the Muslim Chaplain Omer Mozaffar. However, the school’s efforts have been facing criticism from students. 

While the university offers to-go meal packages and halal stations in dining halls, some students say there are issues with a limited variety of food choices, unclear communication and a lack of substantial nutrition.  

The initiative, which allows students living in residence halls to request suhoor meals to pick up the evening before, was designed to make pre-dawn eating more accessible for those observing the fast. Mozaffar said Campus Ministry collaborates with Aramark — a food services and facilities providing company — each year to coordinate the program. 

A survey is sent out in advance to gauge interest, and students living in residence halls can request suhoor boxes.    

“In past years, Aramark would put together a specific box that would have some dates, yogurt and certain foods,” Mozaffar said. “A lot of students would sign up for it but would not actually pick it up. We thought maybe it was because of what was in the box, so this year Aramark tried to let students decide what they wanted for suhoor.”  

Halimah Khan, a third-year information systems and analytics major and president of Loyola’s Muslim Student Association, said the program has been a helpful step in accommodating students who rely on their meal plan. 

Khan worked with Mozaffar and Aramark to ensure students could request to-go boxes during dinner hours, giving them the option to store food for suhoor instead of the pre-packaged meals. 

“Students would go into the dining hall around dinner time and ask one of the Aramark workers for a box and explain that they’re getting it for suhoor,” Khan said. “The workers are already prepared to give a student a box and provide them with whatever food they need.”

First-year accounting major Yasmeen Kaloti said she skipped the program entirely after seeing the menu. She said she felt the limited choices wouldn’t provide the sustenance she needed for a full day of fasting.  

“I looked at the form and it was only two options — quiche and waffles — and I tend to eat something more filling than that,” Kaloti said. “I need something that can keep me more full throughout the day, and that’s not necessarily something I would eat as food.”  

Instead of relying on the dining hall, Kaloti makes overnight oats in her dorm — a meal she said will sustain her through the fast. But she said Loyola’s lack of diverse, hearty options still felt disappointing.  

Heather Price, a registered dietitian with Loyola Dining, worked with Aramark and Mozaffar to make the suhoor initiative sustainable for students. In an email to The Phoenix, Price wrote that the suhoor initiative menu, designed by Loyola chefs, includes substantial meals aimed at sustaining students through long fasting hours.  

“We’re offering a savory option — a different homemade vegetarian quiche each week — or a sweet option like Belgian waffles, pancakes or French toast,” Price wrote. “Both come with breakfast potatoes, Beyond veggie sausage patties, fruit, Greek yogurt and a cereal bar.”  

Price wrote the purpose of the suhoor packages is to provide students with filling and nutritious meals that can carry them through the fasting hours. 

Second-year advocacy and social change major Shahnaz Hassan recalled her experience as a first-year, when she tried to utilize the suhoor options. For Hassan, the program was poorly executed even if the intention was good.

“I remember being very confused about the process, especially as an incoming freshman last year,” Hassan said. “I wasn’t sure on what the process was exactly.”  

The confusion, paired with the lack of variety, discouraged her from participating again. Hassan said the initiative’s repetitive daily meals made it difficult to rely on for regular sustenance. There was no weekly variety or options students can choose from.

Simel Zafar, a second-year biology major, said the monotony of the meals last year drove her to rely on her own groceries instead. She said the limited food options didn’t meet her nutritional needs, and she felt restrained to certain options which didn’t align with how she handled suhoor.  

“You were limited to your options,” Zafar said. “You were just given one sandwich, and I feel it was pretty repetitive to have that every single day.” 

Despite the added customization, Zafar said she found this year’s selections impractical. The narrow range of options left her feeling the program was more of a formality than a genuine attempt to meet her needs. 

Hassan also said the lack of personalization made the initiative feel more performative than practical.  

“I would appreciate it if Loyola wasn’t as performative as it was with the whole process,” she said. “It could have been a lot more clear and even just with a little more effort created a better experience for Muslim students on campus.”  

The initiative, Mozaffar said, while not perfect, provides meaningful support and sustains the demographics of students who need it most. For students relying heavily on meal plans or facing food shortages, Mozaffar said the benefits outweigh the lack of versatile food options.

Khan said she hasn’t heard any direct complaints from students, which she said is a sign the program is running smoothly for those who need it. But she said there could be an improved outreach. Even though the Muslim Student Association tries to gather a census of all the Muslim students on campus, it’s hard to collect exact numbers of fasting Muslims and some students are unaware the program even exists.  

“One thing Loyola can definitely improve on is communication,” Khan said. “If Loyola had a more unified way of reaching out to all the students and maybe putting out something at the beginning of the year that entails what options they have for students fasting, it would be a really great way to make sure that students know what’s available for them.” 

As a first-year away from home, Kaloti said she recognizes the struggle for students who rely on dining meal plans and have to make do with pre-packaged suhoor meals. She said while she acknowledges the university’s effort, the program needs more visibility and inclusivity for students who are away from family. 

“I go home a lot and my family sends me with stuff to keep in my fridge, but not everyone has that type of family or convenience to always have their fridge full and buy their own groceries,” Kaloti said. “Some kids are heavily reliant on their meal plan, so I think the school’s initiative to do this is good. It could be a little bit more inclusive with the options, but I think it’s a step in the right direction.”

Paige Dillinger contributed reporting to this article.