“That’ll be on MasterCard,” — a phrase many students sheepishly mutter to the Tim Horton’s attendant on a daily basis. Overspending on convenient, quick (and usually, not-so-healthy) food is a common theme for SFU students.
At a university that prides itself on sustainability, why is it impossible to find a 50-cent banana to grab between classes? Why is it that even if you do remember to grab those leftovers before leaving the house, you have to descend to the depths of somewhere out of the way, like TASK 2, to find a microwave?
When taking a closer look at the structure of the school’s dining options, one can conclude that daily indulgences in quick, pricey snacks can be attributed to more than a little laziness on a student’s part. Is SFU setting us up for failure when it comes to our meal options on campus?
The most effective way to ask for something is with your purchasing power.
We all want convenience, and convenience they have given us. But the convenience that students are being provided with seems targeted at benefiting SFU financially in the long run, as opposed to the bank accounts and bellies of the student body.
Taking a look at recent initiatives implemented in the school, ulterior motives appear to be behind the scenes. Look at the (recently added) ATM availability, for example. You don’t have to look far to find an ATM conveniently sitting beside five vending machines full of chips and pop.
The suggested transaction here is undoubtedly convenient, but good luck finding something that will provide you with the nutritional value your body actually requires.
It is no wonder that students gravitate towards daily indulgences of chips and pop. Who wouldn’t when you only have 10 minutes between classes and a dollar in your pocket? The school is structured around an awareness that students often need to grab a quick snack between classes, but is not making healthy options nearly as available as sugary snacks.
If, by some miracle, you are lucky enough to find the last bruised and neglected banana at Starbucks, I hope you enjoy a nice big markup because that’s what you are going to get. Any new innovations of “fast fruit” for students are coming at a price.
When examining the services that are conveniently provided at SFU, a less than subtle bias is encouraging students to spend, spend, spend on foods that are getting them nowhere fast. By making use of these services and not demanding better, we are perpetuating the problem.
If we, as students, want better options while keeping our bank accounts out of the red, then we are going to have to ask for them. The most effective way to ask for something is with your purchasing power; so don’t buy things that you don’t want to see stick around.
If you want to keep off the freshman 15 and not see deficits by April, you best BYOB (Bring Your Own Banana), because SFU apparently isn’t going to sell you one easily.
You complain *now*, but should you have been at SFU just 5 years ago, none of the options that are here today were available then. Although I agree with your sentiment…count your blessings. 5 years ago, we had the Renaissance monopoly, $10 burgers at White Spot, and the old Mackenzie Cafe. They’re taking quite the initiative to build on what we once did not have. A quick walk to Cornerstone will show you that Nester’s Market (which didn’t exist back then) can sell you your produce, amongst other things. Take a walk to the restaurants on Cornerstone, which have moderately priced quality now compared to back then. There is a variety of food, and the owners of these restaurants are responding to student requests to attract more of the student body. Part of the responsibility also falls on you as the student. It’s your responsibility to maintain the work/life balance, as SFU isn’t here to babysit your every move. Maybe instead of binge-drinking once a month, go out and buy some groceries. Take the time to learn about healthy options and implement them into your life. If you can see the need for change, do something about it and make it happen (because in the amount of time it takes for something like this to go through the loopholes in SFU administration, you will be finished your undergrad).