Dining services essential for flagship status

One of the most frustrating parts of campus life is the inept operation of the UH Dining Services apparatus.

When you go to the Einstein Brothers Bagels kiosk, and you can’t get a cup of black coffee, something is really wrong. Or when you go to the new highly-touted Fresh Food company expecting finally to be able to eat a meal that is suited toward your culinary tastes (carb-less), and they say you can’t have the grilled chicken for your salad because it is strictly for the Panini sandwiches.

The hype stated that students would be able to have their meal anyway that wanted it — after all it is freshly prepared before your eyes. Or when you go to Taco Bell in the UC-Satellite and are unable to effectively communicate with the staff because they don’t speak English. Perhaps when you go to the Starbucks kiosk in the UC-Satellite, and they tell you they can’t accept cash because they do not have any change. Three hours later, you get the same story.

Then there is the instance when you go to the convenience store in the UC-Satellite for an item you buy daily, and it is not there, so you ask the clerk for assistance, and they tell you that the girl who orders their merchandise is out and no one processed the order.

I mean, get real. This is a major, urban University with a lot of lofty hype regarding flagship status, and we can’t even rely on our dining services operation to run efficiently.

Oh, and least I forget the most ingenious of all the dining services faux pas: the week of finals this summer, they closed the UC-Satellite. The week of finals, the week during which everyone is extremely stressed and counting on the services that we support and pay for in tuition to be available to us. Now, this is most ignorant of all, I would say. Put the students under more stress by requiring them to walk all the way over to the UC to find something to eat. What an ingenious idea for a major university.

Trace R. Williams is an economics junior and may be reached at [email protected].