The Caiman Vybe Volume 1, No 1 Dec 9 2017 | Page 12

STUDYING ON A
HUNGRY BELLY
By Jewel Thorpe
Bachelors of Arts in Journalism Student
OPINION
F
or the past 4 years, COSTAATT and the Ken Gordon School
of Journalism and Communication Studies have been my
home away from home. However, the first day I stepped on
campus to attend a class; I was hit by the grim reality that
there was no cafeteria there. I casually walked up to the
security guard and enquired, “Excuse me please, where’s the cafe?” The
gentleman looked at me as if I had just landed from Mars. “Ma’am, there’s
no café here.” I felt like I had been hit by a ton of dhalpurie. I had just
travelled 64 kilometers, all the way from Palo Seco with the intention of
getting some form of nourishment before I engaged in my three hour
lecture. No such luck. I was forced to endure those three hours of study
on a hungry belly.
According to www.bettermind.com “Hunger is tied directly to low blood
sugar which quickly leads to fatigue and low energy levels – and all wreak
havoc on your ability to focus.” I have spent many a day’s hungry when
in my haste, I fail to be prepared. The unavailability of a cafeteria on
campus not only means that one has to walk a great distance to buy food,
but you can lose valuable time going in search of food. Students with
busy schedules do not have the luxury of making stops between their
workplace and their place of study. This is heightened by the fact that
many younger students are among the travelling population. As a result
they depend on the institution to provide a cafeteria to ensure that some
of their nutritional needs are met.
Other COSTAATT campuses such as City and South have cafes where,
Caiman Vybe | Volume 1, No. 1 | December 9, 2017.
although there is a limited choice of food, one can purchase food in
between classes. Whereas the closest meal that can be purchased by
students and staff at NLC is the Chinese Barbecue restaurant on Maraval
Road, or one could make the arduous two mile walk to McDonalds.
When compared to other tertiary institutions, students elsewhere benefit
from a plethora of meal choices. Like Mario’s, KFC, Subway and Rituals
franchises just to name a few, within a close proximity to an eating area.
On visits to these other campuses, I have encountered students purchas-
ing meals, studying and socializing with their peers, a much needed
aspect of higher education life. According to Just Breathe magazine,
students benefit from “real time socializing” by building positive and
constructive relationships, by reducing stress and anxiety levels, by
enhancing mental functioning among others. The most important benefit
would be proper nourishment. COSTAATT will do well to take this into
consideration when considering a café for our campus.
A cafeteria provides a multiplicity of benefits to students and institutions
alike. The students will be provided with nutritious meals while reducing
the stress of having to prepare meals for themselves. The institution can
earn much needed revenues that could assist with the efficient running
of the institution while providing employment for workers. The profit
gained from the cafeteria can be used to improve the campus building
and provide funds for graduation and school trips. Revenue from the
NLC café can also be used to fund the schools newspaper that would be a
great asset for Journalism students’ portfolio. After writing all of this, it’s
time for some nourishment. Doubles anyone?!
12