During Spirit Days we are piled up into a room to talk about how great MSU is. In some cases, it is. Academic programs are exceptional. The Bruce and Graciela Redwine Student Wellness Center is filled with beneficial programs and services. Even the dorms are pretty decent for how old they are. But as for dining services, there is nothing great about it.
We are warned about the Freshman 15 and are urged to make healthy food choices, and Mesquite Cafe promotes that they “are committed to providing you with a broad selection of great-tasting, healthy food and beverages.” In reality, it’s the same menu every few weeks.
Three of the five lines stay the same. Two of them, the pizza and the grill station, are the complete opposite of healthy. The deli station is decent at best. Food service workers do rotate what is in the last lines, but they are still filled with vegetables available in frozen bags at Walmart and the entrees are usually pumped with sodium or sugary sauces.
The salad bar it is usually old and unattended. The most nutritious vegetables are the most unappealing. The spinach is wilted, the cucumbers are either dry or slimy, and the carrots are usually dried out. But the cheese, ranch dressing, and lettuce (which might I add is 96% water) by god, is well-kept and constantly refilled.
Most people who complain about what they are eating will typically just find another place to eat, but not us dorm residents.
Freshmen and other students in dorms are required to purchase a meal plan and when signing up for housing, the lowest meal plan available is 10 meals per week. Students end up paying for a meal plan they will not use.
While it is typical for freshman and dorm students to have a meal plan in most universities, universities make up for this by providing decent dining halls. UNT has multiple dining halls that offer food to accommodate a wide range of students, such as vegetarians. MSU is ranked 712 of 1,389 schools in the “Healthiest Food Options” category on the student review College Prowler site. Texas A&M — Commerce is ranked roughly 200 schools higher in the “Best Food Quality” category on the same site.
Instead of spending money on a new Student Affairs student media specialist to aid in “more enrollment,” Student Enrollment and Development needs to focus on internal affairs rather than external affairs, starting with dining services. More options such as vegetarian and cultural types of food should be added into the menu. The “garden burger” isn’t enough. Also, all lines should produce new things everyday. The only reason why the hamburger and deli lines are so popular is because the rest of the food is unappetizing. And lastly, the salad bar should contain fresh vegetables and include healthier options because corn, cheese and three bottles of ranch are not necessarily healthy.
Another solution is to allow students in dorms to purchase a block membership. While dorm students do not have immediate access to a kitchen, there are two kitchens in Killingsworth and one in Pierce. Students can cook for themselves. Not all food requires a full kitchen to make a meal. Each room includes a mini fridge and a microwave, enough to cook simple meals that can be more nutritional and appetizing than Mesquite Cafe. And certainly enough to prepare better options than are available in the cafeteria.
