Statesman

Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Tyler Sweeney Senior Jason Staab purchases his lunch at the UMD Food Court.

Between a couple classes, a group project or maybe a quick workout at the gym, some students are spending upward of six to 10 hours a day on campus. And between that, a student has to eat, whether it's heated-up leftovers or food bought on campus.

"I try to bring food from home but it seems like I'm actually eating food from school more often," said Aleshia Wiggs, a junior at UMD. "I just keep the food in my backpack. I try to super-simplify when I'm bringing it from home."

Many students, like Wiggs, bring food from home if they plan to be at school all day. However, storage can become a problem.

"I never really like bringing sandwiches from home … the bread gets all soggy. It would be nice if there was something like a cold sub line or a make-your-own-sandwich kind of thing," Wiggs said.

Mark Zmudy, an assistant professor in the department of health, physical education and recreation, said he can spend anywhere from five to 14 hours on campus a day.

When interviewed, he would be spending nine hours on campus that day. Overall, he felt that the quality of the service at the Food Court was pretty high, but said the options weren't necessarily ideal.

"There are not enough healthy options. What I usually end up doing, because I come here almost every day that I'm at work, is buying a water, and then a few supplemental things, like bananas and oranges," Zmudy said.

Like Zmudy, not all students are satisfied with the options.

Student Ali Naqvi is typically on campus from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"I usually come [to the Burger Hub]. But I have very limited options for what I get here. I can't eat meat here so I will get a fish sandwich or a veggie burger, but I'm kinda sick of it," Naqvi said. "The options are not OK … they are very limited."

Naqvi isn't a vegetarian, but eats kosher items as a religious choice.

Catering to students with different eating habits is something that Auxiliary Services, responsible for UMD services like food, vending, the bookstores and parking, tries to do but isn't always able to.

"We do what we can for any of those kinds of options," Joe Michela, director of Auxiliary Services said. "We're here to feed the majority and we do try to include a vegetarian option."

Continued...

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