Training Table’s recent move from Jimmy V’s Sports Cafe to Branner Dining Hall for dinner has reopened the debate among students and athletes over whether the Athletics Department-funded meal program catering to varsity athletes constitutes an act of favoritism.

Training Table is a joint effort by the Athletics Department and Dining Services to provide athletes with flexible meal times and food choices. It takes place five days a week in Branner Dining from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. In addition to many of the regular food options served by dining halls around campus, Training Table offers athletes a number of healthier alternatives, such as high-protein dishes and low-sugar options. Some students said that the move to Branner Dining visually juxtaposes athlete perks with the reality of other students.

“There are a number of extracurriculars on this campus that simply don’t get the same perks as sports,” said junior Amin El Gamal, echoing a common complaint among students. “It can be really draining because programs like theater and art are just as valuable and don’t have the financial benefit.”

Athletes have defended the program, however, pointing to the unique physical demands of playing a NCCA-Divison I sport.

“I can see why people might look down on it, but it’s really the only option we have a lot of times,” said senior Nji Nnamani, who plays volleyball. “It’s a great way to make sure everyone eats right, and it also allows us to build more team chemistry.”

And while Training Table is an all-athlete program, only certain teams receive free meals. Varsity squads eat at Branner Dining with varying frequency — the basketball and football teams eat there nightly; a handful of other sports like women’s gymnastics and women’s volleyball dine there regularly; yet many other teams have little or no access to the facility.

“My feeling is that athletes do burn a lot more calories than the rest of the student population and therefore, should get certain preferential treatment,” said Chris Emme, a 2005 graduate and former cross country runner. “But I don’t know why some teams have access to Training Table and others don’t. Why should one athlete get a food stipend in addition to Training Table meals and another get only the stipend or a regular meal plan?”

Susan Burk, assistant athletic director for student services, said it is only the head-count sports — a category of the NCAA that assures that everyone on the particular sports team gets a full financial ride — that participate in Training Table. These teams include, football, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s gymnastics, women’s volleyball and women’s tennis. Players on these squads also have their dining hall meal plans paid for by the Athletic Department, and athletes that live in Mirrielees or off campus also receive a quarterly cash stipend for food.

Senior Rachel Dyke, who plays lacrosse, cannot participate in Training Table, but dismisses criticism of the program, arguing that the University’s preferential treatment of athletes is minimal.

“I can see if you’ve never played sports and never been exposed to an athletic department that you might see certain favoritism,” Dyke said. “But compared to other universities and even some high schools, Stanford does not give athletes the extra push at all. They support them, and it would be almost criminal not to.”

In addition to dinners at Branner five nights a week, Training Table breakfasts are offered at Jimmy V’s Sports Cafe. Certain student athletes are given a specific budget that they can use to choose from an extensive menu. While the Cafe is associated primarily with sports teams, owner Jimmy V (who declined to give his full last name) said it is a common misconception that the cafe is exclusively for athletes.

“These athletes are not getting anything that anyone else can’t get,” he said, citing the fact that students can pay for meals from the Cafe. “Any student can come in at any time and get what they want. People think of us as just working for athletes because of our location, but I’ve done jobs for the Drama department, Admit Weekend, various class reunions and [Cantor] museum.”

Many students who expressed frustration with Training Table did so under uncertainty over the source of funding for the program.

“If the funding for this plan comes from the general University funding and not the Athletics Department, then I think it’s unacceptable because it clearly favors a portion of the school, and I think that Stanford is at least as academic as it is athletic,” said Junior Sahand Rabbani. “I don’t care what they do as long as I’m not paying for it.”

According to Burk, the program is funded by the Athletics Department as part of the students’ scholarships.

“Out of the 900 student athletes in all of our 35 sports...only about 146 participate in Training Table, and most of them live off campus so they don’t have a dining service,” Burk said. “It’s unfortunate what students think about the preferential treatment because compared to other schools, we don’t do anything to cater our athletes. They have to do everything themselves.”