Southwestern College Collegian

Issue date: 1/23/08 Section: Editorial

The average student at Southwestern College pays about $1,421 for food a semester. That translates into 14 meal credits a week to use in the cafeteria or the Jinx. At the beginning of the school year when we agreed to pay that amount to Southwestern College for our food, the Jinx was open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and prices were not outrageous, you could choose from three meals, and get plenty of food for only one credit. But now, we are lucky to see even one meal written on the glorified white write-on-wipe-off board. There are a myriad of students who prefer the Jinx over the cafeteria, and for those individuals the time and price changes are outrageous. Not every student or faculty member can afford the time to sit down in the cafeteria to eat their meals. But since the Jinx is no longer open early in the morning or late at night, the only choice we have is to eat in the cafeteria, or not eat at all. Sure, there are solutions to this problem. We could wake up earlier, or buy our own food to eat in our room before leaving for class, or after our late night classes. But it all comes down to the fact that we should not have to do that. When we paid for our 14 meal credits, we were paying for the right to be able to sleep in so that we did not have to get up early to eat, and the right to actually be able to consume some sort of food after a late class. Or the option to grab a bottle of orange juice on our way to our early morning class if we just happen to be thirsty. The Jinx also provided those of us who think the cafeteria food is disgusting with alternatives. We could eat there instead of paying more money to eat out, or starving because we did not want to eat in the cafe. And for those of you who think that if we do not appreciate the food here we should just go buy our own, you are sorely mistaken. It is not right to make us pay thousands of dollars for food each year, simply so that we can go buy more. If you do not live off campus or in Warren or Honor, you are required to pay Southwestern College approximately $1,421 a semester for food. Even if you have no desire to eat it, you still have to pay for the meal plan. If we are required to pay for food, we should be able to have a voice in what we are eating, how much we pay to eat certain foods, and at what times we are capable of eating. Also, if the prices and hours are going to be changed, it should not have been done in the middle of the school year. When students are attempting to figure out how much money they need to allocate for the school year, they plan upon a certain meal plan. When the prices for food are changed halfway through the year, it may mean that some students will need to up their meal plan. And what if they don't have the extra money required to eat, simply because they were not notified of the changes until the day before they happened? Students should not be required to spend more money halfway through the school year simply because Food Services was not properly prepared. Rising costs of food and transportation are to be expected, and those are a few of the explanations that have been given for the increase in prices here on campus. But it is something that the administration should have been more prepared to handle. Students ought to have had a say in this whole issue. It is something that really affects everyone who is involved. The whole issue is a disappointment. It should have been planned out much more thoroughly and thoughtfully. Peggy Williams is a sophomore majoring in communication. You may e-mail her at peggy.williams@sckans.edu.

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