Freshman 15? Try the Ambrose 30.

by: heather venema
Editor-in-Chief

The space has been renovated and expanded, complete with cosmopolitan lighting and more intimate seating. But after three months of transition time with the new cafeteria, my overall response is still negative, and I know I’m not alone.

For example, I’ve accepted that napkins won’t be on the tables anymore, but I find it frustrating that McDonalds' napkins are of a better quality. I’m wiping my mouth with something the consistency of toilet paper.

I miss the giant Pepsi clock that whisked me off to class, and eating breakfast to the morning news is an entirely different experience than popping Cheerios to heavy metal music.

All these very minor complaints aside, there is one aspect of the new cafeteria that doesn't make sense. We’re continuing to grow as an institution, especially in terms of student population. So why, (if we’ve had to build two more residence halls to accommodate this growth) would we shrink the length of the conveyor belt?

During peak times, the cafeteria is understaffed to manage the influx of trays, and the backup that occurs is far worse than last year. (In Sodexho’s defense, they did say at the open mic night that they’ve had some unexpected staffing issues – and for being under the gun, they’ve all kept a really positive attitude.) I appreciate the effort to hide the conveyor belt for appearance reasons, but did we have to shrink it too?

Furthermore, I’ve heard through the grapevine what the specific process is for tray return, but I have yet to see signage near the belt, or read about the protocol anywhere else.

I agree that our student body should know what they need to be doing to clean up, but Sodexho, by publicizing the process you remove the fault and blame from yourselves! Then it becomes about lazy students instead of a lack of communication.

At the open mic night, students raised the issue of a healthier menu. Sodexho responded by saying that student feedback had not indicated a strong desire towards healthier foods.

Believe me, I fully understand that Sodexho needs to cater to the majority of the student body, but if you’re someone that is health-conscious, even if we are in the minority, it’s very difficult to find an adequate variety. I can only eat salad so many days in a row, although I will say that the selection of fresh veggies is top notch.

Maybe part of the problem comes from the fact that we shot ourselves in the foot by expanding into more stations. Last year, there were certain "days" (if you will) that you could depend on during the week, like pizza day and burger day. Now with all that space, these foods are offered constantly.

The problem this creates is that student’s feel there is less variety. At least I could get excited about hamburger day, but nothing’s exciting about consuming it every day of the week, twice a day if I really wanted to.

Sure, the pizza toppings rotate, different shaped pasta is available, and the sauce may be red or white, but that’s not enough variety to keep people happy for nine months.

One day last week, there were wraps in the cafeteria, and when I walked in, the line was snaking past the cereal. That demand has to say something! Aside from being much healthier – it was a welcomed change.

Until I came to St. Ambrose, I didn’t know all the ways that potatoes could be manipulated. Mashed, fried, baked, sliced, diced, shredded, and whole. Put that with all the bread, pizza, and pasta, and you’re well on your way to a starchy caloric nightmare.

Obviously some changes are easier to make than others, and I’m sure there’s a higher Sodexho power that our campus food service must answer to, but it’s going to be a long six months without any changes – and a lot of extra pounds.