Email to Ursula Hall, ANU - Gluten Free Concerns

This article, on 24 October 2012, includes the email sent to the administration staff at Ursula Hall, The Australian National University (notifying them that they had incorrectly labelled their food on numerous occasions).

My previous article on the Terrible Gluten Free Experience at Ursula Hall, ANU summarises the appalling service I received from the hall with regard to my dietary requirements.

Sent: 11 October, 2012

Subject: Concerns re the Gluten Free Diet

To Whom it may concern,

I am writing to you today for two (2) reasons. Firstly, I would like to thank you for allowing me to reside in Ursula Hall for the last 2.5 years. I enjoyed the community aspect of the hall as well as the opportunity to live away from home and have learnt a lot since beginning at the ANU in 2010.

To help you and your staff grow and better serve your residents, I believe that there are some genuine concerns that need to be addressed, particularly with regards to your kitchen and catering department. This is the second reason for today's letter.

As your staff are aware, I left university shortly after the end of Semester 1, 2012 (terminating my room agreement during the winter break). There were a number of factors affecting this decision, one of which I believe deserves some attention - my need for gluten free food.

Before registering my college preferences in late 2009, I enquired about whether any fully-catered colleges would be able to accommodate a gluten free diet and was advised that that the kitchen staff [at Ursula Hall] would not have a problem catering for my needs.

My particular dietary requirement is due to a very common but under-diagnosed medical condition called coeliac disease, where the only treatment is a strict and lifelong gluten free diet. A Gluten Free diet, by definition, is one that is free of wheat, barley, rye, oats and their derivatives. Individuals with Coeliac Disease and Non-Coeliac Gluten Sensitivity are at risk of immune-mediated damage to the lining of the intestine when any amount of gluten, however small, is ingested.

I have touched on it in greater detail here: http://icmn91.hubpages.com/hub/Ursula-Hall-Gluten-Free

I hope to hear from you soon and believe that we can have an honest discussion on how this matter can be overcome for the future. I will be taking this matter further if, after 10 business days, I remain unconvinced that you are serious about resolving this matter. I want to work with you on this, not argue.