College students can often eat the most food out of all age demographics. From instant ramen to the strangest combinations of ingredients made into midnight snacks, students are well known for the lengths they will go to to chase off the pangs of hunger.

And they have earned this constant hunger, what with all the studying, working, and juggling of finances that comes with growing into adulthood. Because of this, a college campus should not only provide adequate education, but fuel for that education in the form of good food.

On the Mesa campus, students have not only the cafeteria and the coffee shop, but access to the generosity of The Stand for students with food insecurity at home and at school. Mesa also hosts the Farmer’s Market for these same food insecure students, or anyone else who needs some good, wholesome food at home. Along with the student-run culinary program, these are all fantastic options for students who want more than the average cafeteria fare.

With this in mind however, the on-campus food situation still has much room for improvement. In the past week, several current Mesa students were interviewed on campus about the food situation, and have received quite varied responses. Victoria and Celeste, two students recently interviewed in the coffee shop, said that it’s a great place to grab a much needed chai latte on the way to class. Another student, Nate, eats at the cafeteria at least twice a week. He said that the cafeteria is made as accessible as possible under the circumstances, which seems to echo the sentiments of many food establishments in the wake of coronavirus. 

In the years since the outbreak of COVID-19, many if not all businesses have been plagued by chronic understaffing.  It becomes evident that this is a problem at the Mesa cafeteria as well, when speaking to someone who has been here since before the coronavirus outbreak. That person is Scott Suarez, an anthropology professor here at Mesa. When spoken to,  he certainly had a lot to say about the cafeteria situation. For starters, he wishes to see the return of the pre-COVID café, which he claimed was much better than the existing one. He also hopes for the cafeteria to return to its full operations in the future, reinstating the burrito, sandwich, pizza, and pasta shops that previously thrived in the cafeteria. 

When asked about potential staffing issues resulting from COVID-19, Suarez stated his opinion that the hiring ads for the cafeteria were poorly distributed and did not reach enough people to get the right reception. If the ads were distributed more widely, across campus and on social media, for example, the hiring efforts might have yielded more results. 

As for the environment, it does not seem to be entirely focused on refilling your stomach.“It’s a glorified study hall,” Suarez says: “There’s hardly any eating going on in there.”

Speaking to another student, Marium, she shared some of Suarez’s feelings (including a lack of thrill over the chicken strips). Marium said that she dislikes the cafeteria closing at 1:15 p.m., which is far too early for students like her who have classes going into the late afternoon/evening and need a snack. She also hopes to see the installment of a small chain restaurant or two on campus, as seen on most other college campuses. (This would obviously present a budgetary issue for Mesa, but still something worth mentioning.)

Both Marium and Nate advocate for going to the student-run culinary center in lieu of the cafeteria, both due to the price and the overall quality. Marium also mentions the curious situation of the elusive food truck: She, like many others, has never seen it and has no idea when it comes to campus and how often. 

When asked what improvements could be made to the food situation on campus, Marium simply said that they should “bring back those tacos that they served at the Blue Moon festival last month!”

But what can be done in the meantime?

If any meaningful changes are to take place, it will be up to the Mesa College student body to bring them about. If students continue to voice their opinions on the matter, there is real hope for the future of the cafeteria and its food. Whether it is more staff, new food options, or better hours, every student at Mesa should be leaving the cafeteria feeling satisfied, and ready to ace their exams with a full stomach.