Written by Zacrie L. Scott
Walk into the dining hall on your first day of school, and the Lair is overwhelming. Pizza, pasta, burgers, burritos-where do you start? Is it possible to try everything the Lair offers in one school year? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Although the food is appealing for the first few weeks, it quickly grows old. Occasionally, the menu changes slightly to accommodate student requests. The grill rotates new features each month-sometimes offering a Cajun burger or a bacon cheeseburger-but no matter what you call it, it is still the same burger. There are some highlights: The pasta is excellent, as are the Boar's Head sandwiches in Roski. Bread bowl soup every Wednesday and waffles are very popular. For vegetarians, the choices are limited to salad, pizza, or a veggie burger, although some campus vegetarians claim the veggie burger has meat in it. For students determined to eat healthy, food selection can be a frustrating process.
Finally, campus dining puts students in an interesting position. For students who opt out of the meal plan, the food is expensive, especially with added sales tax. Students with a meal plan often have money left over that is non-transferable; consequently, many students lose hundreds of dollars a year because they could not eat two thousand dollars worth of food. With or without a meal plan, you will pay significant amounts of money to eat on campus, and at the end of the year, the University may profit from your small appetite.