The day will come when you graduate from college and carry away with
you a degree in your respective field. If you have lived on campus for
those four years you can also enjoy the added baggage of heart disease,
type II diabetes, and high-test scores in the cholesterol department.
What
am I talking about? None other than the overpriced delights students
are required to ingest so they can live another day. I have quit smoking lately. At first it seemed like a great idea
for saving money and improving my health, but that transition is more
costly than I previously thought. A healthy lifestyle demands a
mattress full of cash, which helps explain why America is so overweight
and unhealthy. A bottle of soda costs roughly a $1.25, and a bottle of
Naked Juice, a healthier option, costs a penny less than $4.
As
a walking moneyless college student cliché, I decided to purchase a
loaf of bread from the Outtakes store in the Rendezvous Complex the
other day. I wanted a simple sandwich and since I didn't have any
actual cash decided to buy it from Chartwells. It is first important to
note that the bread is a standard loaf of wheat bread. Before I reveal
the price students are expected to pay, I must also note that this
wasn't an auction for charity or a bidding war over a celebrity's half
eaten piece of toast with the image of Christ on it. It was just an
ordinary loaf of bread that you can find at your local grocery store.
The price, $4! The loaf of bread being sold to poor college students
costs $4!
This may not sound like a lot of money for bread
depending on where you come from or the financial lifestyle you are
used to, but to me it is ridiculous. The sting in this bread buying
experience is the result of where the money came from, my pocket. I am
not under the umbrella of an athletic scholarship, academic or honors
scholarship, or trust fund. Furthermore, when a student, like myself,
makes the decision to live on campus they are required to buy a meal
plan from Chartwells. The meal plan I picked was supposed to provide me
with $1,250 worth of food. It was the cheapest plan and cost $1,250
real dollars. I pay cash for the meal plan and Chartwells determines
the exchange rate of my dollar because they set the prices.
When
I was smoking cigarettes I didn't get the full taste of the food in the
Turner and the Rendezvous complexes. I do have fond memories, though,
of undercooked pork in Turner making me feel like I chomped down a bowl
full of laxatives that induced a restless night in the fetal position.
Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken burgers, and fries washed down with
cheap soda are the lineup of the three square meals of the daily
student diet.
There are very few healthy eating options for
students, and a bowl of lettuce for every meal gets old fast. I may be
way off in my opinion this week, but it does seem a bit ridiculous that
a pack of cigarettes is cheaper than loaf of bread or a bottle of fruit
juice.