There are a lot of reasons to be happy as a student at Siena Heights University. We have a great community, we have great professors and we have a nice location right between Toledo and Ann Arbor. There is one thing that could be better, though, and many students have tried to express their concerns about it: The food in the cafeteria.

Although it is known that college cafeteria food is not always the best regardless of where you go, Siena Heights is different, and the food should be as well. It is no secret that the majority of students here are athletes, and their diets are different than the average person.

With that being noted, there are times where the selection of food that these athletes like is low and it comes down to them eating pizza for a meal. Some days, it is pizza for lunch and dinner. As good as pizza may be, to have it twice a day gets old, and it isn’t sustainable for athletes who burn through calories rapidly during their workouts.

What about the non-athletes, the students that come to Siena Heights to enjoy the small class sizes or to join the rich theater tradition here? They are paying the same amount, if not more, because they do not receive the money of an athletic scholarship, to go to this school. Do they not deserve better? The prices of attending Siena Heights after all the miscellaneous costs could reach up to $40,000 or more per year. With that cost, why can’t the school provide better food for the students that pay so much money?

To criticize without having a plan to fix it would make you a complainer. The cafeteria staff offers a suggestion box, but it is online. How often will someone that is busy with school and work go online to make a suggestion that will probably not be read, or it will be skimmed over and tossed to the side?

Why can’t there be a real suggestion box? Also, there should be less “gourmet” choices. There are not many students here that are used to gourmet choices with a concoction of spices, sauces and various vegetables.

If the cafeteria staff were to cook to their audience, that would solve a lot of the problems of the students not liking the food.

We have a lot to be thankful for, but the food could be improved. This has been an issue in the past, but nothing will change if nothing is said.