Simply stated: the food on campus sucks.

Not only that, but the prices in most cases are brutally inflated.

I’m sorry, but $1234 for a semester that lasts a shade over 15 weeks should be enough money to feed me three meals a day, seven days a week. Not here.

On top of that, I shouldn’t have to strain myself to find produce that isn’t mushy or wilted, or meat that is higher than grade F.

Bad food on campus is not an epidemic unique to UVM. In fact, it seems to be a pretty general consensus that food at most colleges is lousy. But does it really have to be that way?

For a school that prides itself on being progressive as well as socially and environmentally conscious, it seems somewhat hypocritical that UVM employs Sodexho, the biggest monopoly in the cafeteria food business.

I thought we at UVM were all about supporting local businesses and eating heady organic, free range, fair trade foods.

The Manor is the only UVM dining location that uses all local foods on its menu and it is only open for lunch and is intended more for the faculty and administration than for students.

Granted it would likely be more expensive for students if all on campus food was bought locally, but if it meant that I no longer dreaded going to get food every day, I for one would be willing to pay more.

As it is, buying food from Sodexho is far from a bargain, at least for us students.

A crappy bowl of macaroni and cheese from the Marche is more that five bucks.

Just a newsflash for anyone who wasn’t already aware we’re all getting screwed and someone is making a serious profit.

Sodexho is clearly doing well for themselves, but if UVM is making money off their own students’ need to eat, then that is a disgrace. Especially when many of us have no choice but to buy our food from them.

Students living on campus are required to buy a meal plan their first two years. If we don’t have a choice outside of buying the campus food, we should have more say in what we’re fed.

Personally, I’m a little tired of walking in circles at the dining halls trying to choose what looks the least unappealing of the food available.

Eating is one of life’s great plea-sures; it’s time to make it pleasurable on campus.