By Jamil Oakford/ editor-in-chief

After select students and faculty districtwide received email surveys asking for input, lunch on campus could receive a fresh take.

TCC enlisted the help of a consulting firm to reassess the dining options offered on all five campuses through the survey released April 14. The school hopes to better understand how students and faculty perceive options on campus.

“Everything started about March 28 with two focus groups at every campus — one consisting of students and the other faculty,” TCC contract consultant Ray Allison said.

Initial focus groups ended around April 1, and Allison said the second leg is the surveys.

For NE student Jose Laves, the food options on campus are limited but with his current schedule, it doesn’t affect him as much.

“I don’t really eat here,” he said. “Now, I do grab snacks.”

Laves said he eats on campus every Monday because his schedule keeps him on campus until 5 p.m., but he couldn’t imagine being on campus every day and looking for food.

“If I was here every day, I would definitely prefer more options,” he said.

With the current Subway contract ending in May 2017, district officials wanted to take the district’s temperature.

“They will help us look at the student responses and help us look at those wants versus the viability of different types of food services,” district procurement director Mike Herndon said. “Does it make more sense to do a cafeteria setup, or would more of a food court setup be good?”

The end result could mean a lot of things, and Herndon said that’s part of the consulting firm’s efforts.

“It doesn’t mean what we’re doing is wrong,” Allison said. “We just want to know if we can do better.”