Free Krispy Kreme donuts in the Innis Cafe. Wraps from Fresh. Popeye’s. We’ve all seen those Facebook events. We’ve all hit that “Interested” button.

But these commuter free food events don’t actually add any value to student life at the college. So why does the Innis College Student Society (ICSS) still run them?

It is not entirely clear how giving out free food furthers the ICSS’s stated goals. According to its constitution, the Council aims to “provide opportunities for social engagement” and “promote community” at Innis.

So how do free Krispy Kreme donuts accomplish these goals? Short answer: they don’t. It would be disingenuous to suggest that popping in, grabbing a donut, and rushing off to class somehow qualifies as “social engagement.” After all, the main feature of free food events is the free food, not the socializing. There is no activity component involved.

These free food events are run by the ICSS Off-Campus Representatives, who—according to the constitution—are supposed to “encourage community participation” by Innis commuter students.

But free food events aren’t well-targeted at commuters, or even Innis students for that matter. Free food doesn’t discriminate—on-campus residents and strangers off the street can walk in and take a couple Popeye’s drumsticks without any repercussions. It’s no surprise to anyone that these events get re-posted all over Facebook groups like Free Food UTSG, attracting throngs of non-Innis non-commuters to the commuter lounge.

So these events don’t promote community, and aren’t even targeted towards commuters. How much do they cost?

In the 2017–2018 school year, the commuter portfolio spent an eye-popping $6374.59 on free food events. So why should students shoulder this enormous cost?

Proponents of these events, such as former Commuter Representative and current ICSS President Brandon Liu, have argued that turnout for free food events is higher than for any other ICSS events. During the ICSS’s last general meeting of 2017–2018, Liu asked for over $2000 in addition to the existing Off-Campus budget to run a final free food event. After receiving some pushback from the Council, Liu responded that the turnout for his events was the “greatest ever.”

Does that really surprise anyone? You’re giving out free food to anyone who shows up! Of course turnout will be high. Don’t get me wrong, increasing event turnout is an important part of “social engagement” and “promoting community.” But surely it can’t be the only part. Getting people to turn out is one thing—getting people to stay and engage with the college community is another.

To their credit, this year’s commuter reps have planned for fewer free food events. “We are planning this year on having more events that aren’t just free food,” said Breanna Lima, one of the current Off-Campus Representatives, in a statement to the Herald.

Still, the Off-Campus portfolio is planning on spending $3070 out of their $4562 budget on free food events this year. Lima argues that free food events give students an opportunity to connect with their peers. Reflecting on her first-year commuter experience, Lima said that she “felt left out of all the residence events,” noting that “almost every Innis person I met, I met at the commuter lounge, and usually during free food events.” In her mind, it is up to commuters to take the initiative to get involved at these events. “Whether or not someone takes this opportunity and makes some new relationships is up to them.”

However, the purpose of the ICSS should be to actively “promote community,” not simply lay out the pizza, cross their fingers, and hope community forms spontaneously. Getting involved is hard, and student government should make every effort possible to encourage engagement. The onus is on student representatives to engage the student body, not the other way around.

The ICSS is currently facing a $6629.06 budget shortfall. In light of this, the Council should cut funding for free food events and replace them with events that are both financially feasible and beneficial to student life at the college.

The point of pooling together student money is to run events and support initiatives that individual students can’t. So what’s the difference between a free food event and 80 students buying Popeye’s on their own? Not “social engagement,” that’s for sure.

Why is this Still a Thing is a column in The Innis Herald, asking why nonsensical events, holidays, and institutions are still practiced.