Kathlyn HotynskiFor those of us who live on campus, our dining selection is seemingly limited. We can either stuff our stomachs at the cafeteria or make our way to Hilltop for a quick bite to eat.
With the semester well under way, many students are repulsed by the greasy and tasteless cafeteria food and find themselves transferring meals more often. Although we seek healthier options, we should ask ourselves, is it worth the trade?
Trying to escape the winter blues and look somewhat respectable for spring break is embedded in the minds of many. Students who try to stay clear from Taco Bell and Pete’s Arena find themselves quite limited to the selection on hand. As we all know, a transfer meal is valid for any food and or products combining to equal $3. With this reminder, we scout the marketplace seeking something delectable – or as close as we can get without overpaying more than what we already do.
With inflated prices seen across the board, we are lucky to purchase two products without using extra money from our declining or Blugold accounts. Looking at the combinations available, your purchases hardly seem worth the buck compared to other retail stores.
Beverages, dairy products and even cereals have prices marked dollars above the norm. A cup of yogurt, for instance, is $1.09 at Hilltop where Super Target marks their cost down at $0.49. Take the opportunity to look at the boxes of cereal, most are no lower than $5 where other retail stores price around $3. And the milk? Try $1.29 for a pint – just enough to get four bowls worth.
With the prices like they are, more problems are bound to occur. Have you ever noticed the meal plan amount on your tuition statement is not the same as your card’s beginning balance? The reason for this is the university takes half the money and puts it toward personal use. For what you may ask? It goes mainly towards the workers, cutlery, furniture, and various building expenses. But at the same time, with the extra cash Dining Services receives each semester; it seems to make no sense why such food items are vastly overpriced on a $3 budget; especially with such a limited, unhealthy supply.
Think about this: UW-Eau Claire residence halls occupy 3,900 students with each student on a specific meal plan. If the university takes $300 from each person’s account, more than $1 million a semester goes directly towards private university use. And generally speaking, the remaining $500 or so dollars on your declining account is not enough to get you through the semester. Many students find that they still need to add more money to their accounts, much to their dismay. This extra revenue for campus dining could be put forth into another useful idea like adding another food service such as McDonald’s to the food court. Not only does McDonald’s offer a wide selection on the menu; it offers reasonably affordable prices with its Dollar Menu.
There are many things Campus Dining can do to better its food quality on campus. For example, more nutritious foods should be made available at both the cafeteria and at Hilltop. Both places are limited in variety with basically only applies, bananas and oranges made available. Money could be spent on stocking grapes, strawberries and other fine fruits and vegetables creating an awareness campus wide to eat healthier. Not only is fruit limited to variety; it is available at an unfair price. For instance, a $0.95 piece of fruit at Hilltop can get you a pound’s worth at many grocery stores. Also, more salads, wraps, and pre-made sandwiches would also add variety rather than relying on Blimpie and Taco Bell for fast eats.
With Wisconsin receiving a D in nationwide obesity, it is now time to demand our university to spend where it is needed most. Accumulating over $2 million per year can do wonders for UWEC’s dining facilities. The quality and quantity of Hilltop’s food assortment and taste is sub par to its worth; desperately needing re-evaluation and a price check on all of its products.
Boley is a sophomore print journalism major and a columnist for The Spectator.
