THE SPECTRUM VOL. 67 NO. 44 | APRIL 12, 2018
food
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950
UBSPECTRUM
issue
Different foods for different moods
Bagel Appraisal:
> SEE PAGE 13
> SEE PAGE 7
Downstate students unsatisfied with Buffalo bagels, hope for authentic bakery near campus
Married to the game: Senior Nicolette Jacobs gets engaged after last week’s softball doubleheader > SEE PAGE 17 PHOTO/GRAPHIC | PIERCE STRUDLER
Campus Dining & Shops budgets for students’ missed meals
PRICE CHECK The Spectrum compared costs between two local grocery stores and UB’s The Elli, the grocery store located in the Ellicott Complex. On average, items from UB were nearly twice as expensive as those sold at Wegmans and Tops. Budget officials from UB Campus Dining & Shops said pricing is decided by many factors, including market prices, comparison to competitors, labor and administrative costs.
HARUKA KOSUGI | THE SPECTRUM
Students wait in line to pay for food. Roughly 16 percent of student meals go unused, according to Campus Dining & Shops officials.
WEGMANS: 1 qt. carton
Soy milk
TOPS: UB’S THE ELLI:
WEGMANS:
Cereal
12.25 oz. box
TOPS: UB’S THE ELLI:
16 oz. jar
Peanut butter
WEGMANS: TOPS: UB’S THE ELLI:
WEGMANS:
$2.49
Students find it difficult to use all meals they are required to buy
$2.79 $4.09
SARAH CROWLEY SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
The nonprofit organization overseeing dining at UB counts on students not to use all the meals they buy.
$3.29 $3.79 $6.99
> SEE
JACK LI | THE SPECTRUM
Students standing in front of “Big Blue” food truck to order their lunch. The “Big Blue” and “Little Blue” food trucks are owned by the Faculty-Student Association and are the only trucks allowed to serve on UB’s campus.
HARUKA KOSUGI ASST. NEWS EDITOR
per pound
UB’S THE ELLI:
per banana
GRAPHIC | PIERCE STRUDLER
Banana
per pound
TOPS:
DINING | PAGE 6
UB community weighs in on bringing food trucks to campus
$2.79 $3.19 $5.19 $0.49 $0.49 $1.08
Budget officials at Campus Dining & Shops, which reported nearly $5 million in profits in 2015-16, say they can’t introduce a rollover or refund system for unused meals because the money students paid for the meals is reinvested. UB requires students living on campus to spend close to $6,000 on meal plans their freshman year, but around 16 percent of the meal swipes they are required to buy will never be redeemed.
Food truck vendors have the rare opportunity to pull onto North Campus Sunday for the Student Association’s Buffalo Untapped event. Over the last several years, food trucks have gained popularity in Buffalo with events like Food Truck Tuesdays at Larkin Square in downtown Buffalo, but the
Faculty-Student Association relegates their presence on campus to the FSArun Big Blue and Little Blue trucks. SA Entertainment Director Matthew Cosmai said Buffalo Untapped is the one event he planned where FSA granted permission for food trucks to be present on campus. FSA denied requests for food trucks at other events, such as Fall Fest, Homecoming and Family Weekend. > SEE TRUCKS | PAGE 11