(no subject)
ASU is not known for having and maintain college traditions, but there is apparently one tradition that Michael Crow and the administration seem fairly committed to: the freshman fifteen.
The proposed mandatory meal plan for on-campus freshman would definitely aid in sustaining this tradition. Sodexho Marriott’s food options in the Memorial Union are anything but healthy. Enough research has been done to confirm that a diet consisting mostly of fast food is not good for you, but this seems to be just what Dr. Crow ordered. Sure there are some salad options at Chik-Fil-A, but that is not enough. The two healthiest eateries in the Memorial Union, The Corner Café and the Mediterranean Grill, are only open three and a half hours Monday through Thursday, and even less on Fridays. Fast food pizza, burgers, chicken sandwiches, burritos, and Chinese would become nearly every meal for these students, turning the freshman student body into a sequel to Super Size Me. People have proposed lawsuits to fast food restaurants just for having appealing marketing for children such as the Happy Meal, I am sure that lawyers are going to have a field day with university mandated fast food consumption. The university needs more healthy eating alternatives before anyone should be thinking about mandatory meal plans.
Health is not the only problem with a mandatory meal plan. Such a plan would put greater financial strain on low-income students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. Purchasing food from supermarkets and preparing it at home is the most cost-effective way to eat. There is a reason that eating lots of ramen noodles is an image that college evokes. Allowing students to cook their own meals allows them to save more money and have greater control over their finances. Despite the fact that the university has taken the kitchens out of some of the residence halls in order to put in high-priced restaurants such as Charlie’s Café in Irish Hall C-Wing, students still have microwaves and the ability to make their own food. Now I understand that the university is constantly under-funded and is looking for ways to increase revenue, but transferring the financial burden from the university to the students is not acceptable. When it comes to financial burden, low-income students are a lot worse off than the university, and with nobody to bail them out. The amount of people eligible to receive Pell Grants has decreased and financial aid is not enough to cover most students. Tuition has increased every year, including the quite drastic 2003 increase, overpriced textbooks are becoming even more overpriced, and new editions every year with a few altered sentences limit the availability of used copies and prevent students from selling back their books. Article 11 Section 6 of the Constitution of the State of Arizona reads: “The university and all other state educational institutions shall be open to students of both sexes, and the instruction furnished shall be as nearly free as possible.” The students accept the need for tuition increased to compensate for inflation, but mandatory meal plans fly right in the face of the Constitution.
Administration claims that the proposal is designed out of an altruistic desire to give students a greater sense of community. I don’t buy it. I’m waiting for historians to unearth documents stating that the United States believed during World War II that forcing Japanese-Americans into internment camps was to create a greater sense of community. Living in residence halls is a great way to meet friends and create a post-high school social life. I know that’s what it did for me. Unfortunately a mandatory meal plan system is going to discourage potential students from attending the university or if they do attend, from living in the residence halls. This would be devastating to the community that administration seems so bent on creating. The removal of the MU Cafeteria also has been detrimental to the success of student community. Students with and without meal plans from my hall would go as a group for certain meals. None of the current restaurants have that same capability, and the Manzanita Cafeteria is only useful to those students residing in north campus.
A mandatory meal plan is bad for the students. Even the ‘official’ reasoning of building community is a shaky supposition. The truth is that this is a way to get more money from the students, and it would not be right even if administration was up front about it.
The proposed mandatory meal plan for on-campus freshman would definitely aid in sustaining this tradition. Sodexho Marriott’s food options in the Memorial Union are anything but healthy. Enough research has been done to confirm that a diet consisting mostly of fast food is not good for you, but this seems to be just what Dr. Crow ordered. Sure there are some salad options at Chik-Fil-A, but that is not enough. The two healthiest eateries in the Memorial Union, The Corner Café and the Mediterranean Grill, are only open three and a half hours Monday through Thursday, and even less on Fridays. Fast food pizza, burgers, chicken sandwiches, burritos, and Chinese would become nearly every meal for these students, turning the freshman student body into a sequel to Super Size Me. People have proposed lawsuits to fast food restaurants just for having appealing marketing for children such as the Happy Meal, I am sure that lawyers are going to have a field day with university mandated fast food consumption. The university needs more healthy eating alternatives before anyone should be thinking about mandatory meal plans.
Health is not the only problem with a mandatory meal plan. Such a plan would put greater financial strain on low-income students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. Purchasing food from supermarkets and preparing it at home is the most cost-effective way to eat. There is a reason that eating lots of ramen noodles is an image that college evokes. Allowing students to cook their own meals allows them to save more money and have greater control over their finances. Despite the fact that the university has taken the kitchens out of some of the residence halls in order to put in high-priced restaurants such as Charlie’s Café in Irish Hall C-Wing, students still have microwaves and the ability to make their own food. Now I understand that the university is constantly under-funded and is looking for ways to increase revenue, but transferring the financial burden from the university to the students is not acceptable. When it comes to financial burden, low-income students are a lot worse off than the university, and with nobody to bail them out. The amount of people eligible to receive Pell Grants has decreased and financial aid is not enough to cover most students. Tuition has increased every year, including the quite drastic 2003 increase, overpriced textbooks are becoming even more overpriced, and new editions every year with a few altered sentences limit the availability of used copies and prevent students from selling back their books. Article 11 Section 6 of the Constitution of the State of Arizona reads: “The university and all other state educational institutions shall be open to students of both sexes, and the instruction furnished shall be as nearly free as possible.” The students accept the need for tuition increased to compensate for inflation, but mandatory meal plans fly right in the face of the Constitution.
Administration claims that the proposal is designed out of an altruistic desire to give students a greater sense of community. I don’t buy it. I’m waiting for historians to unearth documents stating that the United States believed during World War II that forcing Japanese-Americans into internment camps was to create a greater sense of community. Living in residence halls is a great way to meet friends and create a post-high school social life. I know that’s what it did for me. Unfortunately a mandatory meal plan system is going to discourage potential students from attending the university or if they do attend, from living in the residence halls. This would be devastating to the community that administration seems so bent on creating. The removal of the MU Cafeteria also has been detrimental to the success of student community. Students with and without meal plans from my hall would go as a group for certain meals. None of the current restaurants have that same capability, and the Manzanita Cafeteria is only useful to those students residing in north campus.
A mandatory meal plan is bad for the students. Even the ‘official’ reasoning of building community is a shaky supposition. The truth is that this is a way to get more money from the students, and it would not be right even if administration was up front about it.