Feed Me, Please
This opinion piece actually came to me when my third time in quarantine occurred. I was supposed to be catered meals while I was in my room. I filled out the form for the meals and followed it accordingly, but the next day didn’t get any of my meals until 5:45 p.m. and was told there was “confusion.” But I couldn’t leave to get food.
This poses the question: how serious are people taking meal deliveries? Is the food that is being delivered to students in quarantine as high as quality as what is served in the cafeteria? I feel that if students are going to be sent to quarantine, then the food that they are promised should be reliable.
I’m on the volleyball team and two of my volleyball teammates have experienced the same situation. My teammates were sent into a two-week quarantine and experienced delays. They experienced the food that was not being delivered on time, and meals were often soggy or stale. I feel that the quality of food that Missouri Western is giving students is important. Students are already upset when having to quarantine and having unfresh food and inconsistent meals are not something that they should have to receive.
I feel that the cafeteria and the food court have drastically changed since COVID-19. When I was at my old university, it was all self-serve and of course no social distancing. As Missouri Western students, and quite frankly any students in the country right now, dining experiences have changed since last year. Now, we are required to pick food behind a plastic screen without even knowing what all the options are. Incoming freshmen have enough to worry about such as class schedules, living with strangers and living on their own for the first time. Adjusting to an unprecedented eating system is not what the youth of America needs.
From an athlete’s perspective, another issue that has occurred with the new COVID-19 policies at the cafeteria is that I know many people, including myself, who are embarrassed to go back for multiple servings. You don’t control the amount of servings you get on your plate, and if you ask for more it might come off a little embarrassing. These are all things you have to consider.
