Ramadan & Halal Dining at Smith

Halal dining is offered to students at Smith College. The meal contains halal meat only and is served in specific dining rooms. Other meal components may not be considered halal. This fact sheet is designed to make halal dining practices transparent to Smith students to improve their ability to navigate dining offerings and make informed decisions around meals. Dining Services is continually working to improve its processes and welcomes your feedback.

Academic Year

  • All meats during the academic year served in Cutter/Ziskind and Lamont including beef, chicken, lamb, deli selections, and breakfast meat are halal. All chicken tenders are halal at Cutter/Ziskind but not at other dining rooms.
  • The Cutter/Ziskind kitchen is not certified halal by any third party.
  • Pork is never served in Cutter/Ziskind or Lamont during the academic year.
  • While the meat served in Cutter/Ziskind is halal, there may be other products served in the dining room that are not considered halal e.g. vinegars, marshmallow, desserts.
  • Chicken (except for chicken tenders) served in Cutter/Ziskind, Lamont, and Comstock/Wilder dining rooms is halal. Only Cutter/Ziskind offers halal chicken tenders. All other chicken tenders served in other dining rooms are not halal.

Please note: Except for Cutter/Ziskind and Lamont all of our facilities serve some meals cooked with pork and alcohol. Meat served in Cutter/Ziskind is halal. If there is ever any meat served in Cutter/Ziskind that is not halal, Dining Services will label it clearly and serve it separately.

Ramadan

  • Ramadan meals along with halal meat including breakfast food will be prepared and served from Cutter/Ziskind throughout the month of Ramadan (March 10–April 9, 2024).
  • Food for Suhur (predawn meals) are available for pick up during standard dinner hours in the glassed room off Cutter dining room.
  • Students can request to opt out of the meal plan during the month of Ramadan to satisfy their own meal requirements. Please email Patty Heintz, Director of Residential Dining, at pheintz@smith.edu.

Commencement/Reunion 2024

Friday, May 10–Saturday, May 18

Chase and Cushing/Emerson dining halls will be open with restrictions noted below. (Cutter/Ziskind will be closed.) Students should request halal meat from the dining coordinator in either Chase or Cushing/Emerson. Halal meat is available in these dining areas but will be cooked and served from separate pans in these facilities. (Please note: Pork and alcohol-containing foods are served in these dining halls during this period.) 

  • Cushing/Emerson will be closed after lunch on Thursday, May 16. Dinner will be served on Seelye lawn where all meat/chicken will be halal. 
  • Only Chase will be open from Friday, May 17 through lunch on Sunday, May 26. 
  • On Saturday, May 18, a tote lunch will be served on Chapin lawn for all seniors and students (Chase will be closed for lunch). Halal options will be available.

Sunday, May 19–Sunday, May 26

  • Only Chase dining hall will be open.
  • On Sunday, May 28, a deli-buffet will be offered in the morning. Students can make their own dinner at that time. (Chase will be closed for dinner.)

Monday, May 27 (Memorial Day)

  • All dining halls will be closed.

Summer

Tuesday, May 28–Sunday, August 18

  • Plans for summer meals are being developed and will be shared soon. 
  • All meats/chicken will be halal throughout the summer. 
  • No pork products will be served.

Year-round

If you have any questions about Halal meat, require additional cooking time for Halal meat(s), or want to inquire about food ingredients, please speak with the chef on duty or a dining staff member.

  • Halal chicken and burgers are available at the Campus Center Café and can be cooked in a separate pan upon request. If requested a separate pan can also be used for cooking eggs or sandwiches.
  • If you are attending a catered event on campus, please ask the organizer to request a halal dietary accommodation for you. Please note: Catering kitchens on campus also prepare foods with alcohol and pork.
  • Dining Services and The Center for Religious and Spiritual Life websites have information about religious and dietary accommodations.

Orientation

  • During orientation period halal meat is available to groups whose coordinators submit dietary accommodation requests to Dining Services. Please ask your program coordinator to request a halal dietary accommodation regardless of where you are assigned to dine. This helps with accurate counts and to avoid long waits.

If you have any questions about halal meat, require additional cooking time for halal meat(s), or want to inquire about food ingredients, please speak with the chef on duty or a dining staff member.

For More Information

Pat Mahar, Dining Manager at pmahar@smith.edu or 413-585-2322

Rick Rubin, Dining Manager at rrubin@smith.edu or 413-585-2318 (Summer)

Kim Alston, Muslim Student Adviser at kalston@smith.edu or 413-585-2753

March 2024