McGill Students need better food options on campus! Across campus, quick and affordable bites are far and few to come by, but students inevitably hectic and stressful schedules demand proper nutrition!
Something needs to be done because we need affordable and healthy meals!
McGill’s incompetence in regards to student’s wellness is perhaps best illustrated in their lack of accessible food options on campus. Specifically, the McLennan Library is notoriously freezing in temperature, way too florescent in its lighting, and has a terrible selection of affordable and sustainable snacks. The building seats nearly 3000 people, making up for 63% of the campus’ library seating. This means that every day, thousands of students are entering the seven-story building to sit down and hit the books, without somewhere to get a bite.
Until last year the French café chain, Premier Moission, occupied the cafeteria space located at the garden level of McLennan’s Redpath Library. Upon the expiration of their lease, students began to debate what should come to replace the expensive and carb-loaded spot. In the end, an unnamed cafeteria took its place and now delivers a variety of coffee, pastries, poke, sushi, salads, sandwiches, and miscellaneous snacks. Nonetheless, the options available are still incredibly pricey, such as the 12.99 Mandy’s salads and 11.99 poke bowls, which don’t necessarily cater to a student budget.
Notably, other popular academic buildings are not much better. The Desautels Faculty of Management building recently lost its cafeteria due to construction. Similarly, the central Arts Building only has a small snack counter that operates on a cash only basis. On a better note, the McConnell Engineering Building does have more of a variety, with a coffeeshop, ice cream counter, and small cafeteria, but I found they all often lack in freshness and nutritional value.
The issue is not it is impossible to find food on campus but that the found available lack affordability and nutritious value. What is most unfortunate about this issue is that other schools are doing this better. For example, at Queen’s University, they have a plethora of affordable and healthy options at their Athletics and Recreation Center (ARC), located at the center of campus. At the ARC, students can find a mini grocery store, Tim Hortons, Booster Juice and a sandwich shop. Proving that a university can do it all! There can be a variety of different prices ranges, types, and qualities of food.
Since McGill is located within Montreal’s downtown core, many blogs have created guides to help students find the best cheap eats in and around their campus. It’s undeniable that students love Opiano, McGill Pizza, and Vua, but as delicious as some of these restaurants and cafes are, it remains unfavourable for students to leave campus in the middle of the day to find affordable and substantial lunch options.
Let’s not forget that sometimes Montreal is -40℃! Student’s should not have to brave this weather just to find some brain food!
What we need as students are cheap and nutritious options on campus. As much as we try to meal prep and get ahead of our schedules, sometimes we end up on campus for much longer than expected and need to purchase food. Unfortunately, when this happens, the options are minimal.
This all contributes to the already toxic food culture on campus, where students are sacrificing their nutrition and wellbeing for their studies. By speaking to students on campus, it is evident that the culture of taking time to eat is simply non-existent. It is already so hard to be a student staying on top of studies and extracurriculars. Also, it can’t be forgotten how hard it is to also be trying to maintain a specific budget. Imagine being stuck working on an assignment and the cafeteria was only stocked with unhealthy cheap options, or expensive but more nutritious options. Students shouldn’t feel like everything is a compromise, especially when they are already dealing with the rigorous demands of McGill.
It would not be difficult for McGill to change their ways, as there is a plethora of inspiration around them. Organizations such as The Yellow Door provide affordable and healthy vegan lunches to the student community every Friday, during their Rabbit Hole Cafe! This is a fantastic lunch for students because it is always nutritious and filling, not to mention it is sustainable and affordable. What we need as students is not just a $1 bagel, but things that are both affordable and nutritious. It is initiatives like these that prove if McGill was more innovative, they could offer meals that not only cost less but in turn, were more nutritious.
McGill has a lot of work to do, but like everything else at the university, nothing will get done if the students don’t demand a change. We need to be the ones to make the noise, we need to be the ones who advocate for our health and wellbeing.
Enough is enough — let’s fill our tummies without emptying our wallets!
Sign this petition to get adequate food options on campus!
Name:
The Cultural Recipe Box 