Putting a fully functioning Starbucks on campus has been one of the administration’s best decisions in the past year or so, as the long lines, crowded tables and ubiquitous presence of Starbucks cups in classrooms have shown. The high caffeine consumption may be problematic for R.A.s that must deal with insomniac students, but Starbucks also sells sandwiches and pastries, and its appealing atmosphere comforts homesick, hungry students.
Yet, besides that outstanding addition to campus and Student Government’s achievement in extending the C-Store’s hours during exams, UM students still go hungry.
The dining halls hours pose a problem to resident students. Dinner ends at 7:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday (with deli service available until 9 p.m.) and at 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Considering that students go to bed late, eating dinner by 7 p.m. leaves a gap of several hours a day when a student does not have access to the less-unhealthy dining hall food. Enter Papa John’s delivery.
In addition, vegetarians often find themselves at a loss when dining on campus. Being a vegetarian is usually a conscious choice, so those that adopt this lifestyle are aware of the limitations they face when eating outside of their homes. It’s unfortunate, however, that vegetarians face even more repetitive choices in the dining hall than meat-eaters: salads from the salad bar, veggie burgers from the grill, rice and vegetables (that sometimes get replaced by the not-so-vegetarian chicken Caesar salad) from the TerraVe stand, and pasta from the Trattoria – as long as it’s not available only with meat sauce.
Commuters are also at a disadvantage when it comes to eating. They may opt for the commuter dining hall plan – 5 meals a week – but it costs $727 a semester ($777 minus the $50 Dining Dollars that come with the plan). If you figure 15 weeks a semester, a total of 75 weekdays, that works out to be $9.69 a day, a bit more than a student would spend for a meal at any other eatery on campus. Granted, the all-you-can-eat dining hall meals should cost more than a quickie at Burger King, but if a student stops simply to get a sandwich, or if the student only needs to buy lunch two or three times a week, the cost is too high.
If a commuter does not choose to purchase the meal plan and can’t bring a bag lunch from home – something many commuters won’t do because it would involve getting up much too early in the morning, traffic and all – then he or she can hit the Food Court, the Rathskeller, Starbucks or the food kiosks on campus several times a week for not-so-nutritious munchies.
No one expects University food to rival homemade delights, and UM’s dining services are admittedly quite good, especially when compared to dining halls in other universities. However, there is always room for improvement. Fellow members of the ACC like Duke and FSU, for example, have 24-hour diners, according to their websites. When SG managed to open the C-Store 24 hours, there was little student interest, but maybe this would change if there was a place to eat as well as hang out, sit and chat.
Miami is a city, so students do have the possibility of eating off campus and crossing U.S. 1 for sushi or Denny’s. It would be nice, though, to have somewhere to eat right here at UM on Sunday besides the dining halls, Sbarro, Subway and the budding example of freshness that is the C-Store (where, on a side note, the removal of Krispy Kreme doughnuts has upset some students). We’d like having more late-at-night dining options that would not entail drunken students driving to McDonald’s. And, although establishing a 24-hour dining facility would be costly, it would be less expensive and just as beneficial enough to extend the Food Court hours (it currently opens until 4 p.m. on Fridays and is closed on weekends).
The contract with Chartwells was renegotiated this year, so we’ll have to wait for changes to take place in the dining halls, but Wendy’s will replace Burger King and the Coffee Company next summer, and maybe that will lead to longer hours in the Food Court. Yet, this will only happen if typically passive students show an interest in going to these eateries. None of our late-night benefits, if and when we get any, will last if we don’t actually take advantage of what’s available to us. So instead of going off campus, save yourself the drive and eat up – on campus.

We all know these people. They are late, talkative, eat in class, and always seem to forget that there cell phone is on ring mode. Why is it that we have a new class schedule which allows us 15 minutes to walk from one class to another and people are still late? If you are five minutes late for class, you took 20 minutes to get there! What follows after a student is late is the apologetic posture to show that they are sorry for being late. Sorry works maybe twice a semester. Why are you late every day?

As expected, these are usually the same people who pack up with a few minutes left in the lecture while the professor is still speaking. If you haven’t heard yet, the lecture is over when the professor stops speaking. What’s the rush you’re going to be late for your next class anyway?

Once you get into class, shut up. I am in the room to learn along with all of the other people who are already seated and prepared. I don’t need to hear you babble about something meaningless while I am struggling to hear a “low-talking” professor.

If you have to eat, must it be in the classroom? It is never the easy-open Tupperware; it is always the bag of chips that’s sealed with super glue that you struggle to open or the dreaded peppermint with the cellophane wrapper. It doesn’t matter if you open each fast or slow it is annoying. Couple this with a carbonated drink and the subsequent hiss once opened and you are ready to eat.

Turn off the phone, please! Does the professor actually have to tell you to turn it off? It shouldn’t be on in class anyway unless you are expecting an emergency and even then it should be on vibrate.

Would you be mad if your professor didn’t admit you to a class after five minutes? You shouldn’t be, because you are breaking the flow of the lecture and hurting everyone else’s investment in class. You can do whatever you want on your own time; just don’t bring it to the classroom.

Vontilla Steven can be contacted at v.steven@umiami.edu.

The recent trouble Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) has had securing his chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee, primarily because of his pro-abortion rights stance, has dashed most of my hopes that the moderates in an all-Republican Congress would have a strong influence, indeed a very troubling reality. Now, let there be no question, according to the principles of the GOP (a fiscally responsible party that advocates a smaller and more efficient federal government, which is hands off peoples’ personal lives), I am a Republican. Nevertheless, I am disturbed about the prospects of the ultra-right wing of the GOP taking over government and zeroing out the centrists. These ultra-conservatives not only pose the threat of pushing their paternalistic agenda on freedom loving Americans, but they are hypocrites within their own ranks not following the aforementioned principles.

What’s worse is that every four years for about four days, the GOP, and let’s not leave the Democrats out of this one, spotlight the moderates in the party to America and showcase them as the true representatives of their party. On the fifth day, those moderates who let themselves be dangled around are again reviled and shunned to the lowest depths of the party, unless of course there is a campaign rally in their hometown. This behavior is disgusting, but it drives me crazy to think that Republicans have reached out for the most conservative base they can find. Politically, it is a wise tactic that has proven itself, but has put hypocrites in power, and made twisted being a Republican to mean association with the Christian and far right, groups which I do not associate myself with.

Like I said before, there is hope, as there always must be to stay sane. There is a chance for the party to (this is not a pun) right itself. There are centrists such as the great Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that say what they believe and do not worry about what the Club for Growth or the Christian Coalition thinks. These mavericks in the party must now exert whatever influence they have left, which may be little now that the election is over. If they continue to be ignored, then let party loyalty be damned and let the leadership know of the discontent by either switching parties or, in the ideal world, make a new truly center-right party.

Pierre Gaunaurd can be contacted at p.gaunaurd@umiami.edu.

I was appalled that one of the “tragedies” that I have had to hear about in my university career involved a student who was bitter about having to attend a conference for the organization in which she was an e-board member. She was devastated that she would miss the football game because she admitted only joining the organization as a resume filler. However, this was not my first encounter with resume fraud.

Last semester one of my closest friends pleaded that I help her with a volunteering project in which only two out of the 10 e-board members had shown up. I was not even a member of the organization but decided to cover up for the students who apparently were busy filling out the line in their resume for great service to their community. It is bad enough that students actually pursue filler for grad school applications and coveted jobs, but it perhaps more senseless as some employers, admissions offices and even scholarship committees are dazzled by so-and-so’s visit to the homeless shelter every other month to pass out food items.

Woe to the student who actually must participate in the extracurricular activities they have used on their resumes! What mindless effort to write a few lines than to put forth the actual work it takes to be a part of an e-board!

I marvel at my two or three lines I have dedicated to my extracurricular activities.

I don’t intend to belittle service or involvement because it is a vital part of community building. And I am not overlooking the fully dedicated students that do balance service, academics and other activities. But I am calling out those who have disgraced the world with their fraudulent resumes and end up hurting those they supposedly served.

When I told a coworker of mine that I would be taking a year off before going to grad school to volunteer in the inner city for a year, he was excited for me and commented on what a great idea it was-it would look great on my grad school application! I tried to convince him that I was one of few students that didn’t even consider putting it on a resume or application as an incentive to go through with it. He didn’t grasp the concept and wondered why I didn’t do more prestigious programs like “Teach for America” or go for the other pay incentives. Sadly, he has become a victim of resume fluff.

The real tragedy comes in the students that do service or activities to beef up their resumes and completely forget about the people they served five years down the line when they’re thinking of salaries and whether or not to buy that new sports car. But all the blame can’t be placed on students-after all, they are only products of society. So much for service and leadership.

Marquita Bell can be contacted m.bell3@umiami.edu.