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SGA’s new-restaurant survey gives students a voice

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Chinese Star will be long gone after the end of semester. You have the opportunity to give your opinion with the SGA survey and you should take it.| Ajani Stewart/ The Cougar.

With Chinese Star Restaurant closing at the end of this semester, the Student Government Association has launched a survey seeking student input about adding another campus food option.

There are many rumors behind the closure. For whatever reason, Panda Express is still around to fulfill the Asian food option niche on this campus.

There are a lot of complaints about the food on campus and the lack of healthy selections and establishments open late or on weekends. Take this as an opportunity to voice these concerns to the parties that can address them.

An establishment that is open late at night is crucial. Staying open until midnight would be great, since no current food option besides the dining halls adn food trucks are open past midnight.

The survey contains a wealth of questions that serve to genuinely get a feel for the wants, and even needs, of students. There are inquiries about halal options and the relationship students want between food quality and cost.

An ideal restaurant would be one that is open late and on weekends to cater to students who live on campus.

Twenty-four-hour service is definitely a feature students would not use in a manner that justifies the costs associated with having the restaurant opening all day, every day. However, service until midnight would definitely be reasonable.

The second element Chinese Star’s replacement will need is a variety of options.

A schedule-dictated menu would appeal to those who live on campus and commuters. A full menu for regular operating hours could exist alongside a reduced, late-night menu after 8 p.m. That way, there would be less daily waste of food during the late hours and also less strain on a light-staffed late shift.

There will also be plenty of selection for students during the normal class hours, which is when the number of people on campus is at its highest.

Since the University is the second-most diverse campus in the country, it would be ridiculous to not include halal and vegetarian food in the new restaurant. People who adhere to specific diets must eat as well.

There are not many choices for Muslims who adhere to halal on campus besides skipping out completely consuming meat — with the exception of Bullritos and the dining halls.

I know that not everyone needs to have these elements in the food establishment that they want on campus. Hopefully, whatever is selected will appeal to and meet the wants or needs of the majority of survey takers.

This survey is a great opportunity for students. A lot of decisions that affect us seem to be made without asking students what they think. This is our chance to tell SGA and the faculty what we would like to see at that location in Fall 2017.

Also, for the love of God, please make it a place that accepts Cougar Cash.

Assistant opinion editor Thom Dwyer is a broadcast journalism sophomore and canbe reached at [email protected]

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