The beginning of this semester marked many changes at Mississippi State University. One such change was the Perry Cafeteria’s chocolate chip cookies, which are known campus-wide for their taste and texture.
Many students are against this change, and are not wanting to adjust to it.
A new petition, started by freshman communication major Hannah Blankenship, was created so MSU students would have the chance to come together and show support for the original Perry cookies.
The petition is solely focused on creating a collective voice signed by students who hope to bring the old cookies back to the Perry. Blankenship said signing the petition shows support for what she and other students are working toward.
Kaylee Ricchetti, an animal and dairy science major, was one of the first students to sign the petition.
“Last semester I really loved the cookies,” Ricchetti said. “They reminded me of the Chips Ahoy chewy cookies.”
Ricchetti said one special quality of the old cookies was how soft they were, but she does not necessarily dislike the new dessert option.
“I still like the new cookies,” Ricchetti explained. “I just liked the old ones better.”
This petition began on Jan. 30, and according to Ricchetti, it initially was not very serious.
“We were signing it because we had talked about it, and we were just trying to see what the public would say about it as well,” Ricchetti said.
This opinion was popular among the first people to sign the petition, as Blankenship also expressed starting the petition originated as a joke, and she did not realize how easy it was to start a petition.
“It took two seconds,” Blankenship said. “Then friends retweeted and shared it.”
Though Blankenship’s original hope was to get over 20 people to sign it, the petition has grown into something bigger. As of Feb. 7, 328 people had signed it. However, there are some students who have refused to sign it.
Walker Thames, an electrical engineering student, is against the petition. He stated the new cookies are delicious.
“The new Perry cookies are different, they are just as good,” Thames said. The new ones might even taste more homemade.”
Jonah Holland disagreed and claimed the former Perry cookies were something he looked forward to when going to the cafeteria.
Blankenship said she still believes while the Perry has made changes to progress the cafeteria, the cookie changes were not progressive.
Thames, on the other hand, claimed the cookies are part of progress.
“The biggest lesson to be learned here is that people are scared of change,” Thames said. “I don’t think it’s necessary to go through and create a whole petition to try and change them back. I definitely thought the old cookies were good.”
Thames said he does not understand why it is such an opinionated topic.
Blankenship said her plan for the petition is to reach dining services and show there is support for wanting to return to the old cookies.
The Reflector reached out to MSU Dining, but did not receive a response by the Friday deadline.
Many students said they are now wondering just how far this petition will reach and what, if anything, it will be successful in doing.
“I don’t know if a bunch of college students can really band together and get them to change the cookies when they just changed them, but it’s worth a shot,” Holland added.
Thames said he hopes it “fizzles out,” but he is interested to see where it goes.
“If it’s something enough people are behind, it would be neat to see something like that go somewhere, even if I don’t agree with it,” Thames said.
The overall goal of this petition, though, according to Holland, is “just to make people smile.”
Students who want to sign the petition to bring back the classic Perry cookie can go to this link: change.org/p/msu-dining-services-bring-back-the-old-perry-cookies.