A Proposal to Make Upperclassmen’s Lives Easier

My shelf in the fridge often looks something like this: withering spinach in a filmy plastic bag and an empty egg carton. I don’t have a car, so I have to depend on friends with cars to be able to get the necessary produce to cook in my North Campus dorm. When I don’t make it to the grocery store, which is often, I’m forced to go to the Village. Of the four stations, the Stir Fry station’s line is typically too long; the Old World Deli chefs work at a notoriously slow pace; and the salad bar is unfulfilling. I often turn to the least-appealing but always-open Grill station. Amongst the smell of fries and sound of oil popping, I almost always choose the “greenest” item: a black-bean burger, no bun.

During my frequent refrigerator droughts, I wistfully look back at my times on the South 40 campus. The lavish Bear’s Den is open until two or three A.M. almost every day, has seven stations, and boasts a bountiful Paws & Go market. The market holds a variety of Farmer’s Market options—including vegetables, coldcut meats, and cheeses. These options are perfect for cooking a meal, despite the fact that underclassmen, unlike upperclassmen, do not have personal kitchens in their dorms. I thus question why these options are not available at the Village when upperclassmen could put them to better use and propose adding them to the Village.

Upperclassmen would undoubtedly benefit from this addition, especially those who come from lower-income families. Those without cars or extra cash would be able to use their existing meal plans to buy food to cook their own meals. Even those with cars and cash would stand to benefit from wasting less gas money and travel time.

Students would not be the only ones to benefit; while students save money, Dining Services would make money. According to its General Manager, all Farmer’s Market produce at Bear’s Den is bought before its shelf life expires. If there is already clear interest in this produce at Bear’s Den, in the housing area where students don’t even have their own kitchens, imagine how much more money Dining Services would make if they offered it at the Village, where there’s even greater demand. This demand stems from students having personal kitchens but not having staples on campus to use them.

Beyond being a profit-minded entity, Dining Services also cares about providing students with healthy, varied meal options. Offering this produce would help them to better reach this end. Their mission statement reads, “The goal of Dining Services is to provide you with a wide range of options that will fuel your body and mind and an atmosphere that is friendly, welcoming and conducive to interaction with your fellow students, faculty and staff.” Dining Servies fails to meet these goals at the Village. As aforementioned, the Old World Deli and the Stir Fry stations have the longest lines and are open during limited times, especially on weekends. The Comfort Food station often offers less-than-healthy food, but has the shortest line and is open for lunch and dinner every day. The salad bar is quick and healthy, yet unfulfilling and expensive. Providing more produce would help to diversify the Village’s food so that it is less expensive than the salads and quicker to enjoy than the food at the Stir Fry and Old Sandwich Deli stations.

One might be quick to say that if this produce is already provided at Bear’s Den, why can’t upperclassmen simplcoy walk there to buy it? While this is commonsensical and calls into question students’ potential laziness, why should upperclassmen have to walk far to get the variety and the healthy food promised to them by Dining Services’ mission statement? They deserve the same access to high-quality food as underclassmen despite being older. There is, after all, an eatery less than a minute’s walk away waiting to be better utilized.

According to the General Manager of Dining Services, the most prominent argument against the addition of Farmer’s Market goods to the Village is the fear of lack of interest. This fear, however, is unfounded. I posted a survey on Facebook regarding the addition and received 56 responses. The survey revealed, among other things, that 57.1 percent of respondents don’t own a car. The main question asked whether they would purchase Farmer’s Market goods if they were available at the Village. The goods were defined as, “the fresh vegetables (bell peppers, tomatoes, etc.), meats and cheeses that are available at BD’s Paws & Go.” An overwhelming 87.5 percent responded affirmatively to this question.

This data suggests that the majority of students do not have a car, and, thus, getting to the grocery store is not easy for a large portion of those living on North campus. Ultimately, it shows that there is indeed great interest in this fresh produce, and that its addition is worth evaluating.