I live off campus and have a car, so I have a few options for picking up my groceries without paying too much, such as the nearby Food Lion and Walmart. When I lived on campus last year, though, I wasn’t as fortunate; I was just another lost first-year who didn’t even know whether or not there were grocery stores nearby. I’m grateful for having ease of access to grocery stores now, but recent changes on campus mean there are even more first-years on campus who might not know about food options besides dining halls.
As you may know, as of fall 2017, a university policy has required first-years to live on campus. While I disagree with this policy, it’s the reality we have to deal with, and we have to work on accommodating the massive surge of students. There’s a lot to that task: the quantity and quality of housing, class sizes, and of course food.
Until now, calling the grocery options “light” would be an understatement. A convenience store in Bragaw and the Talley Market – which true to its word does carry some “staples” – by no means constitute a full grocery store. Off campus, your options within walking distance are limited as well. Some may point to Target on Hillsborough Street as a reliable grocer, but their selection is limited, and the prices are relatively expensive.
It’s time for a real grocery store on campus. One that is conveniently located for a bunch of car-less freshmen, with all the fresh meat, produce and other products that you expect a quality grocer to provide. One that is genuinely affordable for college students, first-year or otherwise. And one that should be able to cater to the diverse dietary needs of the NC State student body, as our dining halls must.
MIT opened a grocery store on its campus late last year to provide convenient and affordable food security for college students. There are other schools doing the same, but it’s an uncommon practice. NC State can and should lead the pack when it comes to students’ nutritional needs.
There are plenty of places an on-campus store could go, the most obvious one being somewhere in Talley Student Union. Other possibilities include somewhere along Dan Allen Drive or Cates Avenue. But we shouldn’t stop there; plenty of exhausted STEM students on Centennial Campus don’t have the time or energy to stop at a grocery store all the way on main campus, so a smaller-scale mart there would accommodate even more students.
True, there are C-Stores and dining halls, as mentioned earlier. But these shouldn’t be the only options for students. People should have nearby, affordable opportunities to purchase the goods they want and not have to take a gamble on every meal, hoping something that fits their diet is served. More variety than the standard snack-food fare offered at C-Stores is also needed.
It just doesn’t make sense for NC State to welcome on-campus students without accommodating them appropriately. Now’s the best time for a new grocery store because the need is greater than ever. It should be affordable, convenient and well-stocked, because a public college student body is a diverse and fickle consumer audience. A lot of students’ lives could be made much easier by the change.
