Pretty much every morning starts a little after 5 a.m., so when noon rolls around, I’m beyond starving. By this time, I’m three classes down, two cups of coffee have been digested, and my stomach is growling in hunger.

Every day, many students routinely eat at the same places on campus, leaving the excitement about lunch back in grade school with 25 cent milk and boxed lunches. Located on campus between parking lot three, Java City and neighboring the campus Copy Center, the River Front is one of the most frequently visited dining locations on campus. Many students say of all the eateries within the River Front – Togo’s, Kung-Fu Fats and the Hula Dog – are the most popular.

The River Front is the spot for coffee. The lines at Java City are way too long and as far as lunch goes, pretty much what you find at the River Front is what you find in the University Union, said sophomore biology major Denise Roberts.

How can we step lunch’s game up? Well, there are two vacant spots in the River Front where two eateries, Mother India Express and Leatherby’s Ice Cream Parlor, used to exist. Our campus epitomizes diversity, so it would only be natural to further diversify our surroundings with different types of food, but instead, we have two Gordito Burritos and two Kung-Fu Fats. What’s next? Are we going to see Burger King or Round Table taking up those spaces?

When we talked to our friendly Dining Services Coordinator Mary Merya, she informed the State Hornet that at the time, there was no one available to answer any questions. In the days that followed, there was only one question for Dining Services: What are the plans for the two vacant spots in the River Front Center? The question would go unanswered.

First of all, if we’re not going to have consistent vendors, we need to make inconsistency a trend and simply change the vendors to fit the appropriate season. In the summer, maybe have a Baskin-Robbins or Dairy Queen, and in the winter, maybe a Campbell’s Soup vender. By doing this, Dining Services would be ensuring students more variety. It would give us a chance to make suggestions about what vendors we would like to see on campus for the upcoming semester and the opportunity to miss vendors instead of overcasting the same foods.

Lastly, a McDonalds would be great because the regular students have $10 or less in their pockets when at school and right about now, six weeks into the semester, I know I could use that dollar menu.

Surprisingly, over the past few years there’ve been so many improvements made regarding healthier food choices that it would be great to walk into the River Front one day and get a meal that 1) is less than $7 and actually has the capability of being filling, and 2) doesn’t leave that ugly food hangover the next morning.

Don’t front, you know you had one of those this morning when you woke up. That’s why you missed the bus.

Talecia Bell can be reached at [email protected].