The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    Expansion brings more junk

    With the new year comes new changes, and for Southeastern students, this includes the renovation of our beloved War Memorial Student Union. For those who do not know, a new cafeteria should be opening its doors to students by mid-February, and several new restaurants are set to offer their services in the food court.
    Sounds exciting, right? This is what I thought when I first heard the news, at least until I got a look at the list of new restaurants to open this semester. Among them are MOOYAH, a burger restaurant, Panda Express and Chick-fil-A. Though one can argue that MOOYAH and Panda Express will offer diversity to the food options available on campus, I don’t see the necessity of adding another Chick-fil-A when we already have one. Add Popeye’s to the mix, and that means we have three fried chicken restaurants on campus now. It seems a little like overkill to me, and I think adding another Chick-fil-A is an unnecessary addition to campus food options.  
    However, what disappointed me the most is that there are no healthy options among the new restaurants other than MOOYAH having turkey and black bean veggie burgers as menu options. Many college students are on limited funds and are therefore dependent on their campus dining locations for meals, unless they want to buy the cheap, processed nightmares from the grocery store. University residents are particularly dependent on campus dining services, as they’re required to purchase a meal plan in order to live in the dorms. Though it isn’t absolutely impossible to find something healthy to eat on campus, those healthy options are minimal. If students are required to purchase a meal plan, it should be the university’s responsibility to provide students with the means to pursue a healthy lifestyle through diverse dining service options.
    With that being said, the new cafeteria called The Mane Dish promises a “fresh food concept,” where the meals are to be prepared in front of students. If healthier food in the cafeteria becomes a reality, then I’d say this is a great step toward providing satisfactory food options on campus. Nothing can be said, however, until the new cafeteria opens, and then we can judge for ourselves whether or not the food is lacking nutrition.
    I want to be clear, though, that administration cannot be solely to blame for inadequate food options. As consumers of this academic institution, we have the right and responsibility to speak out if the services provided are not up to par. If you have a problem with food options-or anything on campus-then educate your peers, talk to administrators and  come to The Lion’s Roar to voice your opinion in the newspaper. Change can only come from action, and only by confronting the problems we encounter can we help our campus grow to its full potential.
     

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