Bake sale ban no more, says chancellor

The cookies have returned: The UNO bake sale ban has been lifted, said Chancellor John Christensen.The chancellor announced his decision at the Strategic Planning and Step Up awards ceremony on Nov. 15.

The ban, which was enacted in September, shut down fundraiser bake sales and giveaways of baked goods, citing health concerns, particularly allergies to food like peanuts. Before the ban was enacted, the campus food service policy only prohibited outside catering, but allowed bake sales.

"This policy prohibits the sale or giveaway of food items on campus unless it is for an approved bake sale," according to the pre-September version of the ban.

Christensen said once he had considered the health concerns and found "the risks are very low," he decided to bring the cookies back with only a few changes.

"Obviously, I think student organizations depend on those kinds of fundraiser, and I think that's important," said Christensen.

Student organizations will be required to register their bake sale with the university as well as receive safety information relating to food preparation, storage and allergy information, said Christensen. This method of handling bake sales is common on campus throughout the nation.

Writing off pranks as an unfortunate reality, the chancellor said that with appropriate guidelines, bake sales can be lucrative, safe and tasty, too.

"I'm a big consumer," said Christensen. "I get hungry."

Look for more information about the bake sale ban's reversal in the Nov. 26 issue of the Gateway.