While academic programs, dorms and buildings are all important aspects of a college campus, the food that is available to students is one of the biggest concerns for Salisbury University students.
Good meals are essential in college, as they provide energy for students to study and excel, and they play a large role in social interactions between students, as it may be the only time students see their friends.
Though it is obvious that students are going to feel a difference between home-cooked meals and dining hall food, a variety of food can improve the college food experience and make students feel more welcomed and comfortable.
Unfortunately, SU is very limited when it comes to options of food available on campus. Many students, like SU freshman Paige Lilley, feel there are not enough different food places around campus, and the food places that are here are very similar, and the food is repetitive and boring.
“What we do have gets old so quickly. I feel like we just don’t have a lot of options,” Lilley said.
Having options can be particularly challenging for students who do not have access to transportation to go to off-campus restaurants, like SU freshman Leah Smith.
“You kind of have to eat at the same places over and over, especially as a freshman,” Smith said. “I don’t have a car, so I really can’t go a lot of places off campus.”
Lilley also feels as though some of the food options around campus are not sufficient for a meal.
“At the cafes in the academic buildings, there’s like no actual choices of real food, it’s just like little snacks. I don’t want to go to Commons all the time,” Lilley stated.
SU has satellite dining cafes in almost every academic building besides Fulton Hall and Devilbiss Hall, allowing students to have access to food before and after classes.
But SU freshman Sarah Kopycinski feels like many of the satellite dining places around campus all serve very similar food, making it feel as though there are not many different options.
“TETC [and] Henson have the same food, a lot of the stuff in the library has the same food, and Cool Beans has the same food, so it’s not like you are really going anyplace else,” Kopycinski said.
Students also find it inconvenient that while there are many food places close to campus, they do not take Dining Dollars, including the restaurants that are in Sea Gull Square, such as Pablo’s Bowls.
Even more, many students such as Lilley feel that not only the restaurants around campus, but also the convenience stores such as CVS should take Dining Dollars. This would allow students to purchase necessities such as toiletries.
“I think any place on campus should take Dining Dollars,” said Lilley. “At other colleges …they have convenience stores where you can buy soap and makeup and stuff with Dining Dollars. I don’t know why Salisbury is behind on the times.”
Students would like to see another on-campus food service added to SU that is both convenient and delicious. Having a Chick-fil-A on campus is great, but students like SU senior Amalie Bauman would like to have more diverse and healthier options available to them.
“We have Cool Beans, and then Chick-fil-A and Hungry Minds. I think there could be other options. More healthier options too [would be good], maybe like a salad place or smoothie places would be cool,” Bauman said.
While the food options around campus are adequate, and students certainly aren’t left feeling hungry, students seek more variety in their meals than what is offered now. A chain such as Panera, which offers a variety of food, including soups, salads, sandwiches, smoothies and bagels, would be highly beneficial to the students and the campus itself.
If SU is going to continue to use its food as an attraction for prospective students, it must truly be up to par on satisfying the appetites of those who attend the university.
By LAURA AMRHEIN
Staff writer
Featured Image: Emma Reider image.