On-campus dining options inadequate

By Ryan Gupta     3/11/10 6:00pm

The Hoot is the best thing that has happened to this university since it introduced co-ed housing.Yes, I love food - and it turns out I'm not the only one. As news of this magical late-night food joint spreads across campus, the West Servery has quickly surpassed Club Fondren as the place to be at 1 a.m. on weeknights. The Hoot's easy success proves one important fact: Rice students are always hungry.

The servery system isn't flawed per se: Each student has access to a servery near his or her college, lines can be long but are rarely ridiculous and students can easily meet up with friends at peak hours. Yet when I take a step back and look at the system, I still see much is lacking.

First, the campus servery hours of operation (or the lack thereof) are horrendous. Between practices, tutorials and meetings, people can't always make a 7:30 dinner, and the relatively early breakfast hours don't always work out on Saturday mornings that follow particularly "eventful" Friday nights. I don't want to have to plan my day around limited servery hours. Other universities like the University of Texas have multiple cafeterias and dining halls open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Yes, I know UT is a bit bigger than us, but I feel it's reasonable to request at least one campus servery be open at off-peak hours.

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Even when the serveries are open, however, the variety of food is mediocre at best. The hot food line could use an upgrade, especially in terms of vegetarian food. A mundane vegetarian rotation of grilled cheeses, pasta, salads, and veggie burgers leaves us counting down until Saturday night dinners.

Speaking of choices, how about some flexibility in our meal plans? I am motivated to wake up for a full breakfast about twice a semester, so it only makes sense that I get the choice to pay for what I want to eat. Aside from the off-campus food plan, give me more than one option; many other universities offer a variety of different meal plans which include buying fewer meals per semester or replacing meals with more Tetra Point equivalents.

There's plenty to bash about the servery system, but Tetra Points do help alleviate the situation a bit. The points expand flexibility, help accommodate visitors without making them dig into their wallets and allow you to walk confidently around campus without cash. But if I had more places to use them, that would be ideal. The Hoot, as I mentioned before, is a quality start, but its menu is limited and it is quite a walk for South College inhabitants. The Rice Memorial Center is decent in its dining options during the day, and it would be great if we could build up from Smoothie King, Coffeehouse and 13th Street and add even more franchises. Unfortunately, late-night RMC food is limited to Willy's Pub. And to be honest, I'm not going to be that clown that goes up to the bar at midnight trying to buy a sub.

It's about time that Rice changed its ways and expanded its on-campus food options. More often than not, the servery can get old. Maybe the university can consider adding another Hoot on the other side of campus or expanding its food options.

A large barrier to these additions would obviously be finding money for the expansion. However, with the current success of the Hoot, I'm confident that these additions would essentially pay for themselves and quickly begin turning profits.

The other problem with adding such fast food on campus would be the health concerns. But, as Rice students, we understand the surprising paradox that tasty junk food is bad for the body. As maturing adults, we deserve to have options and the right to make decisions about the type and amount of food we consume.

After all, complimentary condoms are served in fruit bowls all over campus - just because you have access to them doesn't mean you have to enjoy them every night.

Ryan Gupta is a Baker College freshman.

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