Opinion

OP-ED Will York Ever Get a Cafeteria?

Why hasn’t there been any talk about opening a new cafeteria, especially with the generous amount of donated money that has been coming in this semester alone?

York’s cafeteria has been closed since before the pandemic. It would take millions to fix, according to President Eanes. Photo by Niko Balkaran

By Alejandra Hernandez

York College has lacked a cafeteria even before the pandemic. The cafeteria was closed in Sept. 2019 after health inspectors found mice and parasitic insects. Health Department records said inspectors found 51 violations in the cafeteria for mice, vermin, poor plumbing and foods at unsafe temperatures and left unsafe from contamination.

Pandora’s Box covered this issue about York’s cafeteria back in Oct. 2019, where it was said that “the cafeteria had been closed since June due to a lack of contract between Aladdin Food Services, York’s main food supplier, and the York College Auxiliary Enterprises.”

But from the pandemic’s shutdown to today, there seems to have been enough time for York to have thought about a way to offer its students healthier and a good variety of food options.

And although for a very short time, there was a food truck in front of the college, many students heard about them when it was too late. This semester, the Interim Vice President of Finance and Administration, Charles Bozian, said there would be a food truck on campus two days a week to help alleviate the college’s food woes during the first Senate Plenary. He also promised to extend it to more days should it prove popular. But the schedule of the food truck was erratic at best.

Many students complain about the lack of food options there is at hand. And the options around campus are unhealthy, not to mention how unsafe the neighborhood has become. It becomes very inconvenient for some students.

Even with the Cardinal Cafe and the newly introduced individual pizzas, there are few food options. Moreover, since the options are the same weekly, the rotation from meal to meal can become repetitive.

York’s president and her staff should be more aware of the services many students are in need of. Having a decent cafeteria is not something students should be worrying about, especially since a good amount of CUNY students pay out-of-pocket for various campus services. It is only natural for a senior CUNY college to have a cafeteria.

In a different Pandora’s Box story mentioning plans for the cafeteria, Bozian said “that a food court would possibly be built in an as-of-yet incompletely funded building.”

It seems that York’s students’ eating is contingent on the construction of a new building. It’s outrageous to think about putting a food court in a building that has not been officially approved.

At the State of the College address in Oct., President Eanes said that the cafeteria was in “need of millions of dollars of renovations before anyone would be able to come and be a cafeteria vendor.”

The college now has a “7.5 million transformational gift” plus more than 100 thousand because of Giving Tuesday.

The lack of students enrolling at York College might have to do with the very limited services offered, not to mention the lack of concern shown by academic resources offices. Many students have voiced dissatisfaction with many things in the York Cardinal app. Many also post questions that offices should have answered.

York College has been lacking accountability and transparency. Requests for interviews or even answers to simple questions take days for a response if there is a response at all. In the president’s cabinet, the head of communications for what is a public college gets paid $213,000 a year from taxpayers. But then students have to wait ten days for them to take ten minutes to speak with a reporter from the college newspaper?”

Could it be that York College students have to protest like students at Hostos Community College to get some acknowledgement? The better question would be, would a protest really change anything?

Why Can Trump Run For President Despite The Harm He’s Done?

By Alejandra Hernandez

Trump announced he will be running for the presidential election in 2024. Even though there are signs that he won’t be winning this time since many of his Republican runner-ups lost in the midterm elections last month. And in addition, some of his followers have said the U.S. would be better run by another Republican representative instead.

How can Trump be allowed to run for president again?

Trump running for president has to be the biggest shock for many people, especially after the Jan. 6 riot he caused. This is in addition to all the misinformation he often gave during his speeches and tweets. He also has many criminal investigations going on at the moment as well.

There is one by the Justice Department for his declaration that Biden stole the 2020 election and for the misuse of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago, his Florida residence. The Washington Post said, “his company is also in the middle of a trial for criminal tax fraud and the New York attorney general filed a lawsuit that could freeze the company’s operations.”

Anyone in their right mind has to admit that Trump caused a lot of damage and encouraged outrageous behavior from many people. Most of all, he has shown that America is still very racist. This can be seen with the growth of the Proud Boys, a self-described “western chauvinist” men’s club that was established in 2016 by Gavin McInnes. They should be seen as a street gang due to the very violent methods and language they use to “express” themselves. And it is very questionable as to why they are not in gang databases.

Could it be related to their skin color?

“A 2006 FBI report found that some American police officers sympathize or even actively collaborate with far-right militias or white power groups,” which includes the Proud Boys, according to the Guardian.

Trump has praised their patriarchy and has encouraged them to keep on going with their actions.

If the U.S. lets Trump run for president, it is telling its citizens that no matter if their past actions result in police officers’ injuries or even deaths, they will not be held accountable for their crimes.

Furthermore, the U.S. is letting a racist person run the country once again, endangering many people’s lives. Not only did his lies make people get killed, harassed, discriminated against and bullied, but it also made many people distrust the media. Our generation and those following behind have to ensure Trump or anyone similar to him stays out of office. He had a very out-of-date mindset. And it is shown by his slogan of “Make America Great Again.”

Did he mean that America should go back to a period that only benefitted white people? Like during segregation, where black people and minorities were treated like they were some kind of aliens. So many of Trump’s ideals of America could be compared to Hitler’s Nazi Germany, of people with blond hair and blue eyes. Trump will destroy all of the advances America has made. Young people should start thinking about their future and even the future of their kids. College students have the opportunity to make a significant change. They can let their family members and friends, even their social media following, know about the importance of one vote. While many people say they don’t like being political.

I say it’s necessary to be political.