By Jodi Bogert

At the start of this semester, the Cub Café in the MSU reopened their newly refurbished dining hall. Chick-fil-A, Burger Studio and a deli operated there for many years.

Now, the café ditched the mall food court and adopted a completely new style in atmosphere and service.

The food is organized into sections based on the style of food. The sections include homestyle supper, the sizzle, and a lot of other S’s. Instead of just burgers or fried chicken, students can get hot platters, stir-fry and even soft-serve frozen yogurt.

The hanging light fixtures are unique and artistic, more than the standard florescent light coming out of a cottage cheese ceiling. The flat screen TVs play cable, mostly turned on to the Outdoor Channel or CNN. The overall muted tones and dimmed lights give a feeling of conversation, community and relaxation.

Like with all new things, not everyone can fully agree that the Cub Café is perfect. The downside is that while the place looks new and the employees are nice, the food is the same.

KU student De’Asia Thompson said, “This wasn’t what I wanted. There aren’t enough options.”

Beside the long lines, some students have noticed that the portions are smaller. The intentions were probably to control how much students eat, but that can easily backfire.

Jeff Krystopa and Zack Robinson improvise like some students do and grab numerous plates filled with different kinds of food so that they don’t have to stand in line after a few minutes. Zack Robinson said, “Food is better than South Side, but not like Burger Studio.”

Dining areas for students are a place to recharge and rest for a minute before going back the daily grind of higher education.

However, what’s important is the food, not how nice the place looks. Students are hungry and work hard all day; they deserve quality, nutritious foods. Having good food means that the students matter and would promote respect for the college.

Options should include other things beside chicken and stir-fry. Options could include salmon, vegetarian pho, lo mein, paninis or grilled pineapple. Plus, the fat needs to be cut and the salad bar needs a bigger presence.

Obesity rates are climbing in this country and college students need to eat better, but only if they are given the right, affordable options.

As for the lines, the café should create two lines instead of a massive traffic jam that travels down to Starbucks. On a final note, those fortune cookies by the grill have the dullest messages.