The University of Massachusetts Boston is a commuter school. Due to the fact that it is a commuter school, the Campus Center Food Court isn’t that impressive. The court is relatively nice of course, but it doesn’t have as many choices as other colleges. Secondly, just because UMass Boston is a commuter school, does not mean it is okay for the Food Court prices to be so ridiculously expensive.
This is a generalized statement, but college students are typically poor. They are just starting out in the world and quite frankly, our money supply is limited.
Unfortunately for humans, eating is a necessary action. One bad thing about food is the fact that unhealthy food (or junk food) is typically less expensive than healthy food. While buying unhealthy food is easy on the wallet, it’s not easy on the body. There’s a reason ramen noodles are a staple of a college student’s diet.
One thing I noticed when I first arrived at UMass Boston was the Food Court prices. I will admit, I was actually quite surprised at how expensive the food cost. I was sure that the Food Court food would be appropriately priced for college students. I certainly didn’t expect the lunches to cost nearly seven dollars.
For a college student who has a limited amount of money in the bank, seven dollars is too much to spend on a meal. It’s doable for some, but not all. This is a college. They are already bleeding us dry. That food better be prepared by God himself for it to be that expensive.
Now, I understand the concept of wanting to get a profit, but a blonde brownie should not cost $2.25. A slice of pizza shouldn’t cost $2+ at a college. I can understand the prices at a restaurant, but I feel that on a college campus, the prices should be centered towards students’ needs. It’s too much money otherwise.
I also understand that I don’t have to buy the food the school sells. But please understand that in the morning, I barely have time to put makeup on, let alone pack my own lunch. I commute to school and that five minutes I could spend making my lunch means that’s five minutes I can’t use to try to catch the bus. After all, the bus driver isn’t going to wait for me to finish making myself a sandwich.
Of course, there is also the fact some people can’t afford food and don’t have food at home. There should be options for those students. And if there are already options, they should be more widely known.
Again, humans need to eat to live. They don’t necessarily have to eat healthy food to live, but people tend to feel better when they eat healthy. Also, cheap, healthy food would cut down on trips to the doctor’s office. America is already facing an obesity epidemic. There is a lot to say about a society when the healthy food is much more expensive than the unhealthy food. I believe that UMass Boston should do their part to fix that.