Commonly referred to as “Wag” by students and staff alike, Wagoner Hall is the endearing dining hall that sits at the end of Chancellor’s Walk, and is home to an endless selection of buffet-style cuisine that encompasses all three routine meals.

While Wag tends to hold a special place in the heart of many Seahawks, and is a symbol of the university’s campus, it is a rare case to visit the establishment without hearing jokes about getting the “waggles” from eating the food served there. If you are not sure what that term is referring to, odds are it means exactly what you think it does.

As if this gruesome repercussion is not troublesome enough, there are times when the cuisine at Wag has ended with much worse conclusions, specifically with a nasty case of food poisoning. Though it is true that food poisoning can be acquired pretty much anywhere, the prevalence of vomit-filled horror stories floating around the popular dining hall certainly seems a little excessive.

Corey Williams, a sophomore at UNC Wilmington, recalled an experience where the food at Wag took a considerable toll on his well-being.

“Last year, there was all of this hype about a nacho bar at Wag for some holiday or event,” Williams said. “I sat down with two huge plates of nachos and was disappointed because it didn’t taste that great. The next morning I woke up and immediately knew I was not okay. I ran to the suite’s bathroom and started throwing up entire chunks of nachos and stuff more than 12 hours later.”

Corey’s symptoms indicate that he contracted a particularly nasty case of food poisoning, most likely caused by a potentially lethal bacteria hidden in the meat or cheese on his nachos. Such contamination occurs when a substance is not properly cooked or comes in contact with unclean hands and surfaces.

This is not uncommon in buffet-style dining establishments, where food is prepared at high speeds and in mass quantities, often leading to short cooking times and poor sanitation. The way the food is displayed also poses a risk for contamination—being left out in the open for extended amounts of time while a plethora of people mingle and poke their nose over the dishes.

Will Reagan, a junior at UNCW, has fell victim to food poisoning numerous times in his three years attending the university.

“I’ve gotten food poisoning from Wag three different times, always from the deli,” Reagan said. “Every time it was towards the end of the semester, so I feel like they were trying to cut back on ordering fresh food to get rid of their current supply.”

While one could argue that the occasional case of food poisoning is unavoidable in such an environment, no excuse exists for foodborne hazards that are clearly visible to the naked eye. On a recent trip to Wag, I personally had an unsettling experience with the condition of my turkey sandwich.

I ordered my usual fare from the deli, a turkey sandwich on wheat bread with some veggies and a squirt of mustard. Joining my friends at a table, I proceeded to consume my lunch, just as satisfied with the taste as every other trip to the dining hall.

Halfway through the sandwich, one of my friends threw her hands up and cried out for me to stop eating immediately. She had spotted something dark and fuzzy lining the crust of my wheat bread, what turned out to be a considerably prominent patch of mold.

Feeling a bit disturbed, I snapped a picture of the evidence and jokingly played the whole thing off as simply a part of eating at good ol’ Wag. In all honesty, the fact that I was only seconds away from getting a mouthful of mold really bothered me.

Even though Wag may hold a special place in the heart of many Seahawks, the abundance of horror stories surrounding their cuisine is certainly cause for concern. If students are paying around a thousand dollars a year for a meal plan, shouldn’t their main source of food be a place where they can enjoy their meal without worrying about contracting an illness?

UNCW is a university that prides itself on its efforts to keep the student body’s best interest in mind. Hopefully the dining services will catch wind of some of the apprehension surrounding Wag and take action to amend its reputation.