by Crystal Duc
Dietary restrictions such as vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and keto have become common among today’s college students. Unfortunately, students at Pensacola State College (PSC) find themselves with very limited dining options on campus. The lackluster variety of available food leaves most students wanting more, and many wondering why PSC is so far behind society’s college dining evolution.
Pensacola’s Cordova mall is adjacent to PSC’s main campus and boasts various restaurants and cafes. Unfortunately, access to the Cordova area requires driving or walking across the ever-bustling Airport Boulevard. The development of a new walkway or footbridge over the busy boulevard would offer PSC students and faculty a safe and efficient route to obtain a wider variety of dining options to fulfill their dietary needs.
PSC’s main campus has one seating area resembling a cafeteria near the Subway sandwich shop by the campus bookstore. Other than the Subway and the various junk-food-filled vending machines scattered sporadically throughout the campus, the only other food option at PSC is the Drowsy Poet coffee shop near the campus library.
Sarah North, a vegan student, often feels discouraged by the lack of dining options on campus.
“PSC needs to start living in the now. Students need access to more than just an old Subway and a small coffee shop,” North said. “Our college has a large, diverse student body that needs more than just two places to eat on campus.”
North thinks that PSC should evaluate ideas that would redirect a portion of the school’s budget to improve campus dining facilities or invest in a sky bridge or walkway for students to access restaurants across Airport Boulevard safely.
Some might think that the Subway and Drowsy Poet dining services are sufficient amounts of food options for students on campus; however, the limited menu items at both establishments do not reflect the entire student body’s dietary needs.
PSC’s construction of a walkway over Airport Boulevard would provide students easier access to Cordova mall’s many dining facilities, and PSC could avoid entering into any additional contractional dining service commitments on campus.
Developing a walkway over Airport Boulevard would grant students without transportation the ability to access a larger variety of food options, which would normally be out of their reach.
A walkway would also give students and faculty a new way to partake in a physical activity before or after class.
Access to healthier dining options and a safe path for PSC’s campus population to stretch their legs and clear their minds throughout their busy school days would be a welcomed addition to campus life.
A walkway over Airport Boulevard would offer a simple solution for the lack of available eateries on campus, and it would provide healthy physical activity while helping fulfill PSC’s diverse student body dietary needs.