When I first transferred to the University of Massachusetts Boston from the University of Tampa, it wasn’t the commuting or the windy campus that threw me off; it was the food options. Coming from a school with dorms, I was used to being able to eat whenever I wanted with a plethora of options to choose from. Sadly, this isn’t the case for this school.
Keeping in mind that this is a fairly large commuter school, the lack of food options isn’t that surprising. The surprising part is the hours they are open, and the lack of healthy options open late. Friday is the absolute worst with this, seeing as everything closes at 3. It is a struggle for people who have classes that night. A larger issue with this is that the later it gets, the more places close, leaving the food options slim.
Usually, the only thing you can eat past 6 is soup, a salad, a sandwich, or Burger King. I know, the variety is immense. Though I do believe that the salad bar and sandwich shop aren’t half bad, there is so little variety there. The pre-packaged salads and sandwiches are nothing you want to mess with either. Burger King, with cheap, salty, and greasy food, is also a complete tease. I can’t count how many times I have been torn between a sandwich and a Whopper, and came out in favor of the burger.
What they should do is close the less healthy option at an earlier time, and provide a less artery-clogging option instead. Salad and sandwiches aren’t going to cut it alone. The could keep either the Noodle Shop or Sizzlin open until 7. This would give students another option besides cold cuts and leaves, but still exist within a somewhat healthy option — at least healthier than Burger King.
Michelle Obama has focused a majority of her First Lady campaign on creating healthier meals for students, but this won’t happen if we keep letting fast food restaurants sell on our campuses. Colleges care more about money than they do about the health of the students attending them. From my experience, the fast food restaurants are always the ones open late, too.  Of course drunken college kids will go to the fast food restaurants, but only because that’s all there is. I believe if there were healthier options open later, and fewer unhealthy ones, students would be more inclined to go there.