Donovan Wilson – Reporter
The university offers an array of different options for food to students but the feedback is mixed.
“I feel as if the options are great for those who need it, however as a commuter who lives very close, I almost never feel the need to get food on campus as I can go home and make better food,” said exercise science major Cassidy Girolamo, a junior.
The main dining option on campus is Connecticut Hall, which is the typical college dining hall and serves meals in a buffet-style setting.
The main purpose of Conn Hall is to provide quick and easy either sit-down or to go meals at any time to underclassmen who do not have kitchens in their rooms or easy access to a kitchen.
However, those who either commute or do have easy access to a kitchen may prefer cooking food and find Conn’s food rather unsatisfactory.
“Before COVID put most of my classes online, I would occasionally eat at the student center because I feel as if they have better food and a much more relaxed area to study,” Girolamo said.
The general point is the student center is a better place to go for lunch or dinner. The food is considered much higher in quality or at least preferred to as it is made to order style and wider variety of customizable options. The environment is also much more open with many more seating options than Conn and the fact it is not exclusively a dining area makes it a bit more inviting for eating and just generally socializing with peers.
“Not having Starbucks on campus is kind of an inconvenience,” said biology major Morgan Gatewood, a senior.
There is a Starbucks on campus in the Owl Perch, a small lounge to buy drinks and snacks in the Buley library. This semester, Sodexo made the decision to keep the Owl Perch closed due to low attendance.
This impedes on students’ ability to go get coffee as conveniently as possible while studying in the library, using the computers or any of their other services. The only other service available is the coffee vending machine near the owl perch.
Gatewood said, “Personally knowing I can get coffee at the library motivates me to go and be productive.”
Coffee is a major part of on-campus dining options as it is a major component of what college students consume. However, Starbucks is not the only coffee option on campus as the Dunkin’, in the student center is still open and attracting a lot of traffic.
In the end, Starbucks not being open is not necessarily a huge blow to on-campus dining but makes it difficult for people who want coffee but do not like Dunkin’ to get access to coffee.
Business and finance major Ava Boyd, a sophomore said, “I think it’s good and when I went, it had a lot of everything and the workers were nice.”
