The Texas State University System (TSUS) approved Texas State’s contract with Aramark Collegiate Hospitality as the new food supplier and prepares to comply to Texas house bill 127.
Effective June 1, Aramark will take over the dining services across the Texas State campus, replacing Chartwells Higher Education, who has been providing food services since February 1998 and has been responsible for all campus dining halls, Paws-N-Go, J.C. Kellam’s snack bar, among other regular food services and event catering.
“The contract aims to ensure that the campus community has consistent access to safe, nutritious, and diverse food options in a variety of convenient formats and locations,” the contract states.
The contract is estimated to be value of $301 million throughout the ten-year term of the contract, including the one five-year renewal option once the ten years are concluded.
According to a Texas State press release, Aramark will change the residential dining halls now featuring a distinct culinary identities, with Jones Dining Hall undergoing a shift of concepts and the addition of more national brands. Additionally there will be expanded retail dining options, improved access for students living off-campus, integrated techonolgy and an expanded food security initiatives.
The Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) listed that Compass Groups USA, which oversees Chartwells, issued a notice that 183 layoffs would take effect on May 31 at Texas State. While it is unclear how many jobs will transfer over to Aramark, Chartwells employed a large number of student workers.
“The proposed program will enable Texas State University to deliver high-quality, reliable and efficient dining, snack vending and concession services that enhance the overall campus experience,” the contract stated.
According to the contract, the source of funding comes from local institutional funds.
Vice President for Student Success Cynthia Hernandez sent out a mass email to Texas State students stating Aramark will provide an enhanced focus on access, quality, convenience and consistency.
“With any transition of this scale, changes will be phased in with continued attention to student feedback. We recognize there may be challenges and adjustments during the transition, and we are committed to addressing issues as they arise,” Hernandez wrote.
Students who have questions about Aramark can attend a campus webinar on June 9, at 12 p.m., where Aramark representatives will provide insight. Students can register on the mass email from Hernandez.
Along with other schools in TSUS, Texas State is preparing to comply with the Texas House Bill 127, which requires Texas universities to strengthen protections against foreign influence and research risk.
The initiative is led by Shreek Mandayam, vice president for research at Texas State and chief security officer of TSUS. He presented that compliance with HB 127 will include enhanced screening, restricted partnerships, oversight of foreign funding in student organizations and tracking and documenting international travel and collaborations.
“This was a law that was passed last year to make sure that we protect our Texas research from foreign adversaries. There are some requirements that they have put out and we are working very hard with other sister institutions in the system to make sure we meet that,” Mandayam said.
Mandayam said what Texas State needs to comply with for HB 127 will be different than what other schools in the system need to comply with, creating tiered levels throughout TSUS.
HB 127 was passed on June 20, 2025, going into effect on Sept. 1, 2025, to tighten oversight on research security, foreign donations and international travel.
According to HB 127, campuses are prohibited from renewing contracts for or using testing, touring and educational software controlled by designated foreign adversaries.
“The state auditor shall periodically conduct a compliance audit of each institution of higher education to determine whether the institution has spent money in violation of this section [Sec. 51B.301],” HB 127 states. “The state auditor shall adopt a schedule by which the state auditor will conduct compliance audits under this subsection. The schedule must ensure that each institution of higher education is audited at least once every four years.”
If an institution violates HB 127, there is a 180-day grace period to correct the violation after it is identified, or they are ineligible to receive state funding or special funding requests during the next state budget period.
During Mandayam’s presentation, meeting the HB 127 standard also included active security controls, defending certification with auditable documentation, governance for the research security officer structure and preparing for the State-driven standard to activate.
The bill defines “Foreign agent” and “Foreign instrumentality” as a representative of a foreign government and entity that is substantially owned by a foreign government. Additionally, an offense under HB 127 is a third-degree felony.
Mandayam stated he will meet up with the board of regents before their August 6 – 7 meetings to confirm both Texas State and TSUS are on the right track to comply with HB 127.
