Food For Thought: Canadian Universities Have to Keep Student Interests on the Table
I’m hungry.
That’s probably one of the most prevalent thoughts I’ve had throughout my university career; I’m hungry. Where’s the chow?
Apparently, first-year and on-campus students may have cause to worry about that this semester, as Canadian universities and food suppliers plan to be re-evaluate the status their cafeterias. By re-evaluate, I mean “downgrade.” The cost of food prices coupled with rising gas prices has universities reaching for their belts, with the strain undoubtedly falling on the students.
Maybe I’m being pessimistic, but I can only see this going badly for students. With Carleton, I was lucky enough to have a pretty decent cafeteria. Everything is more or less edible, and certain times (namely roast turkey/fish fillet night) fantastic. Cutting back on quality meals will likely drop the overall palatability of the cafeteria, and have students questioning why they’re paying upwards of $2,500 per year for food that can only get worse with budget cuts.
The least schools could do to minimize the blow would be to lower tuition fees in order to compensate for the increasing price of meal plans. Personally, I don’t see that happening in the near future.
The first year of university can be a stressful time for many students. So please,
Canadian universities: don’t compound their headaches with stomach aches as well.
