As the school year comes to a close, Lipscomb students hope that their return in the fall will also bring about better food options.

“Eating healthy makes me more focused and less jittery,” explains Claire Hooper, a junior psychology major from Franklin, Tenn., who tries to pick healthy choices on campus, such as salads, fresh fruit, and grilled chicken. However, she finds her selection limited, expressing that although believes the food has improved, particularly in the cafeteria, she also believes it to be primarily processed.

Freshman Travis Guerra, a political science major from Chicago, says that for a college campus, the food Lipscomb provides is decent enough. A self-professed health-conscious individual, Guerra tries to avoid most of the fast food options in the Student Center, but occasionally has Blue Coast, saying that it is often fresher than what the cafeteria has to offer. For meals upstairs, he usually has grilled chicken and the occasional salad, but is frustrated that the lettuce is dry and tasteless.

Guerra believes that better quality food gives him more energy and makes him a more productive student.

Students who focus on health for their major offer good suggestions. Jennifer Cislo, freshman, nutrition major from Chicago says she believes that campus food is not stored properly, which she says makes oranges, bananas, and apples bruised and the lettuce brown or shriveled. “They’re bland,” she explains. “They’ve lost their flavor. It’s gross.”

Next year, Cislo would love to see soy milk offered, as well as new, better quality meat options at the grill. Also, she feels that the cafeteria should not have any products that contain MSG. In addition, she would love fresher options and more fruit choices.

Rachel Knepp, a freshman nutrition major from Boyertown, Penn., struggles to find meals that fit her pescatarian lifestyle. She resorts to eggs and beans when they’re available to fill her protein needs, since fish isn’t available often. Knepp expresses frustration on how the ingredients in a dish aren’t always disclosed. Remembering a recent incident where she was halfway finished with a plate of pasta before she realized that there were bacon bits in the sauce, she feels something should change. “If they put the full list of ingredients out next to dishes,” she suggests, “I wouldn’t be surprised and I would know what I was eating.”

“The way I eat determines the way I feel,” adds Cislo. “And the way I feel rubs off on my grades.”