TCC students who eat their meals on campus know the feeling: They walk to the cafeteria with every intention to eat a healthy meal, but only one billboard stares into their eyes.
Subway is the only choice for TCC students to eat on all campuses except TR Campus.
Sometimes, the time and the budget make it easy for TCC students to throw away the concept of eating off campus. Students need a balanced diet, but only Subway is there. Food should be a sense of satisfaction and happiness.
Subway is probably healthier than a lot of other fast food, but it’s hard to imagine people willingly repeating the same diet every day.
A study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found over half of college students had high levels of “food insecurity,” meaning they had limited choices of healthy foods due to high costs, leading to a higher risk of malnutrition.
Food insecurity not only affects students but also employees. It may lead to a series of problems related to weight gain, stress, depression, anxiety and trouble learning.
In The Social Determinants of Mental Health, Michael Compton and Ruth Shim assert that food insecurity and the psychological stress it produces affect people in various ways, including putting them at risk for mental illnesses.
These serious problems will affect their academic and social lives in different ways and varying angles.
Many TCC students and staff experience this food insecurity.
Eating is an indispensable part of everyone’s daily life. There is an old saying in China: “The masses regard food as their heaven.” The human body needs a balanced diet like trees need water and fertilizer.
However, TCC only gives those students one choice when they need to feed themselves. When students worry what they are going to eat for breakfast or lunch on campus, they have no choice. It’s always Subway.
If TCC students could have more choices, their experience at TCC will become different. Students will smile at the thought of having another option for lunch.
TCC should be concerned enough about students and employees to expand the size of the dining hall and give them more choices, not just for their diet but also to allow more students to stay on campus to eat and study.
The college will also benefit. For instance, TCC will receive more in rent. These funds can be used to increase the infrastructure and classroom equipment for the benefit of students and employees.
By improving the cafeteria environment and increasing the choices of different foods, more and more students and staff will come to get meals and sit in the dining hall. It will create a stronger social atmosphere on the campus.
TCC should pay attention to these problems and give all students and employees a healthier diet and a better learning and working environment.
