Bill: The Story of a TypicalCabriniStudent

by Mike McGann and Joe Elliott

There is blood all around me, Mom I and most of it is mine.

I hear the medic say, Mom, I'll die in a short time.

I just wanted to tell you, Mom, I swear I didn't drink.

It was the others, Mom. The others didn't think.

He was probably at the same party as I. The only difference is, he drank and I will die.

Why do people drink, Mom? It can ruin your whole life.

I'm feeling sharp pains now. Pains just like a knife.

The guy who hit me is walking, Mom, and I don't think it's fair.

I'm lying here dying and all he can do is stare.

Tell my brother not to cry, Mom. Tell Daddy to be brave.

And when I go to heaven, Morn, put ''Daddy's Girl" on my grave.

Someone should have told him, Mom, not to drink and drive.

If only they had told him, Mom, I would still be alive.

My breath is getting shorter, Mom. I'm becoming very scared.

Please don't cry for me, Mom. When I needed you, you were always there.

I have one last question, Mom, before I say good bye.

I didn't drink and drive, so why am I the one to die? -Anon}mous

Icecream,trenchfriesandHyperColor

Who wants ice cream? I could really go for a large bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, how about you? Ice cream is one of the best snacks that I could think of. Too bad we have no ice cream at school.

Who wants some yogurt? I'm pretty sick of eating yogurt, especially the same three flavors. That's poppycock. Where is the variety? You know, I think I want some ice cream.

It amazes me sometimes how the cafeteria works. I mean, I have been going to eat in the caf for more than two years. The funny thing is that the food still is the same. I'm not talking about the variety, but the actual packages. Are you tired of the food? I sure as hell am. What I would not do to have some nice fresh sandwich meats, not that nasty glazed meat. Have you ever noticed that the ham actually changes colors as the day goes on? I always thought that they treated the ham with the same chemicals that are in those Hyper Color tee-shirts of the early '90s. The meat changes colors when it gets hotter.

I think that the only thing that the caf has done good is to hire Brian and let him cook at Top Hits. Brian, you rock!

I sometimes wonder about the staff that is employed at the caf. It always seems like they are too busy to get some more napkins or ketchup. I do not see why they are so busy. All they have to do is boil some spaghetti and fry some french fries, and then they are done. How much work is really involved in cooking a meal? It does not seem like that much, especially considering that it seems like most of the student body eats in the food court because the food is hot and freshly grilled, not left under a hot lamp like the caf.

Again, I want to make sure you understand the point of eating fresh food. Have you ever gone into a McDonalds or Burger King on the Turnpike? Well, in McDonalds, the food is prepared and then left on a serving platter.

If the time that the hamburger is left on the platter exceeds five minutes, then it is taken and thrown away. Here at Cabrini, the food is prepared and then just left there. I once asked one of the cooks how long one of the burgers was out on the platter and he answered, "I guess a few minutes or so." What kind of answer is that? So I took the burger and started to eat it. Well, it was defiantly longer than a few minutes. The bad thing was that when I asked if I could have a fresh burger, they told me that they had stopped cooking, since it was after 1:00 p.m. Sucks, doesn't it?

It seems to me that Wood Dining Services does not have any priorities set for the students. The plan for the semester. The best part is that I do not even eat in the caf or the food court 19 times per week.

I eat lunch everyday in the caf and dinner in the food court. I have eaten breakfast twice in the caf and I had a bagel for meal exchange the other day. I probably eat in the caf on the weekends twice a month.

So here I am loosing all of this money and I cannot do anything about it. It is funny how the meal prices change in the caf compared to the cash equivalency rate in the food court.

Dinner costs $5.40 in the caf, but the amount of money that you get if you go to meal-exchange is only $3.75. Why is that? Someone is making or taking our money.

JOE ELLIOTT

other day they persuaded me to fill out a survey. My reward was a Snickers bar. So obviously I took the Snickers bar and filled out the survey. I was pretty emphatic about filling in all the details. Here is a perfect example of lack of respect for the students. Last year, my mom decided to send me a cheese and cracker basket. It was purchased through the Wood Dining Service. It was also pretty expensive, something like $25. Well, when I received it, it was worth about $5. It had two small packages of cheese-and I mean small-two pints of bottled Perrier, a handful of crackers from the salad bar and two apples. I was pretty pissed off, so I called Wood and told them. When they realized what had happened, they apologized and gave me a refund in Flex dollars, because a cash refund was impossible and a check would have to be sent home in a couple of weeks. Thanks for caring.

I also cannot understand why.J have to have a meal-plan. I know that I have a choice of choosing what meal plan I want, but the selection is not that great. I have the choice as a junior to choose from a 19-meal plan or a 14-meal plan. Since I do not live in the apartments and since I'm not a commuter, my choices are limited. The funny thing is that I did not have time to change my meal plan, so I'm stuck with a 19-meal

Loquitur is established as a forum for student expression and as a voice in the uninhibited, robust, free and open discussion of issues.

It would be nice if we, the students who pay all of this money to eat in the caf, the people who pay for the paychecks of Wood Dining Services employees, could have more freedom as to what we want. I think that we should only be charged based on the amount of times we eat at school.

Here's a tip. Wood should give us a credit card. We can eat whenever we want or wherever we want to in school, and at the end of the month we have to pay a bill. It might be hard, but it might leave the students with a smile.

What are you afraid of? Losing some money, or realizing that people do not like the food?

I think that something should be done to teach the people of Wood Dining Services that enough is enough. I think we are all tired of spaghetti for lunch and dinner, nasty burnt french fries and Hyper Color sandwich meat. It amazes me that it has gone on for such a long time and nothing has been done to change the food.

I employ the student body to stand up for their rights. Speak out and speak up. If you do not feel comfortable, tell me. I will do it. I have no problem putting people in their places.

Trust me, the only way to be noticed is to speak about what is bothering you.

JoeElliottis a juniormajoringin English/ communication.Heistheperspectives editorof Loquitur.HeownsfiveHyper ColorT-shirts.