For one day every spring term the South Park Blocks are filled with the savory aroma of baking salmon. For many, this is a delightful sensation. However, for others, the smell can result in a serious medical emergency.
The United Indian Students in Higher Education hold their salmon-bake fundraiser annually on campus. This year, the event was held on Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The South Park Blocks are surrounded by Portland State residence halls, the Peter Stott Center, the Millar Library and the four most common buildings for PSU classes: Neuberger Hall, Smith Memorial Student Union, Cramer Hall and Lincoln Hall. Most Portland State students visit at least one of these buildings on an average day, and if they do not, then they at least walk by them.
For three hours on Wednesday, the smell of salmon wafted throughout the South Park Blocks, which left some Portland State students, such as junior Megan Coleman, in a dilemma.
Coleman cannot smell fish or any other seafood or she will go into anaphylactic shock. The park blocks are a PSU staple of the campus and incredibly difficult to avoid.
“I don’t really have any options. All my classes are in Neuberger and Cramer, so [I] just have to walk fast and hope nothing happens,” Coleman said.
Coleman is not alone. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America notes that the number one cause of anaphylactic reactions treated in emergency rooms in the United States stem from food-allergy reactions—with seafood allergies being the most common among the adult population. In 2004 the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published a survey that found nearly 6.6 million Americans—2.3 percent of the general population—suffer from seafood allergies.
“The salmon bake makes it impossible to walk around campus because I can smell fish where ever I go. I can’t cut through the park blocks to go to class because it makes me nervous because I don’t want to have an allergic reaction,” Coleman said.
The salmon bake takes place during the day each year, when students such as Coleman have classes in the various buildings and halls along the park blocks. At that point, she is just going to have to plug her nose and run past the salmon bake.
Such allergies are serious and should not be taken lightly. The salmon bake can put people’s health in jeopardy. If the salmon bake could be moved to a controlled environment then it would not be an issue, but it continues to remain in the South Park Blocks.
“If they had the salmon bake inside somewhere, like in the Native American [Student and Community] Center, it wouldn’t be a problem. Even if it was somewhere like Stott and not such a centralized location I could make it to class without worrying about the reaction of all the fish in the air,” Coleman said.
While the salmon bake does a great service as a fundraiser, it is not necessary for it to be in the park blocks. Not only is it dangerous for students with seafood allergies, it can also be upsetting for vegans. A number of Portland State students are vegan or vegetarian—many due to ethical beliefs that regard using animals for food as wrong. Having this event in a central part of campus is not being considerate of how other students feel.
The salmon bake is not the only problem Coleman faces on campus with her seafood allergy. The on-campus dining for people with these allergies is difficult, and she does not have many options.
“The option is pretty much avoid if possible,” Coleman said. “Generally speaking, even if they have non-seafood options, the food is cooked together on the same pan or grill, and I still can’t eat it.”
Portland State is a large university that consists of over 25,000 people. It is important that the students, faculty and staff feel comfortable here. Comfort is not feeling unsafe walking through the South Park Blocks; comfort is not being forced to avoid a main part of campus.
Comfort is being inclusive and concerned about the students here. The students’ well-being should be the biggest priority. ?