The Skyline cafeteria offers your traditional American food: cheeseburgers, sandwiches, burritos, fries, coffee stand, packaged pastries and chips, not to mention rows upon rows of brightly colored soft drinks all containing high fructose corn syrup, a sugar additive which is one of the leading causes of obesity in America.

Crowds of students find the cafeteria a suitable place to socialize, work on homework and even play card games, so it’s only normal that we provide a healthy environment. It is the only place on campus that offers meal options without leaving campus unless you count vending machines, but don’t even get me started on that subject! However, I’m sure many students will agree that it’s a challenge finding appetizing food on campus.

Some students who have to be on campus for a while are stuck here. It’s out of everyone’s way to leave school, get a meal, come back to find a parking spot or wait for the bus. Most students just don’t have the option of leaving campus to get a healthy meal somewhere else because they might miss class or simply don’t have the transportation to readily do so.

The cafeteria offers few to no options for people who are conscious of their food consumption. It’s upsetting that the cafeteria is not taking into account the diversity of the student body. With so many students from various cultures and different lifestyles, I would hope that the cafeteria could take into consideration the personal wellbeing of students and offer options for people who have dietary restrictions or simply just give a damn about their health.

Some people hold political or religious observances and don’t eat meat because it is against their practices. I see very few options for people who aren’t interested in “the good, the bad and the ugly” burger. As a vegetarian, I can sympathize and I know that the cafeteria offers minimal options. I’ve had trouble finding foods that meet my dietary needs.

My suggestion would be to offer food that is both nutritious and delicious, such as oatmeal with raisins. It would be great to see dairy-free items like soy milk as a substitute for milk, or soy cheese. It would be amazing to see garden burgers and salad chefs who can instantly prepare a fresh garden salad with ripe tomatoes and grilled zucchini. It would make the lives of students much easier by providing nutritional meals that don’t look as sad as they taste. I’m positive that fueling students with foods that have nutritional value would only result in happier students who can keep wearing their skinny jeans.