Feed The Athletes

Food is required for energy. Energy is required for activity. Athletes do lots of activity. These facts bring up an interesting point. Athletes need food for energy, so in order for our athletes to perform their activities at the highest level, shouldn’t we make sure that they have food? Some teams at this university have practice during dinner hours and don’t have the opportunity to eat until after the cafeteria has closed. This results in people who need to fuel their bodies in the best possible ways end up having to eat fast food or junk food. So the issue that needs fixing is the cafeteria hours. The slightest lengthening in the hours would allow everyone the chance for a real dinner, but this brings up another issue, is this fair to the workers? Already overworked and under paid, is it unjust to ask more of them? The task at hand is multifaceted. Athletes need to be able to get a decent meal after practice, but this needs to be accomplished in a way that doesn’t put a greater strain on the cafeteria’s work force.
This time of the year is a very busy and exciting one for the students here at DU. The weather is starting to get warmer, the semester is coming to a close, finals are approaching, spring break is on the horizon and, for a small group of students, and the busiest part of the year is just beginning. The men on the lacrosse team have just recently made the transition from preseason practicing to being in season. In season is the most demanding time of the year for these student athletes in terms of the time restraints they have to deal with and overcome in order to get everything they need to do during a day done. The average lacrosse player’s daily schedule varies depending on the day of the week, but it usually consists of a full day of classes from early morning until right before practice starts at 4 o’clock. Many of the players don’t get a chance for lunch during the day, going the entire day only on breakfast. From class, a sprint is made to practice, which usually lasts until 6:30. Practice is then followed by lifting, extra individual practice sessions, or film. Once a day like this is complete, there is only one thing left on the minds of the young lacrosse players. “ I just wanna eat some food,” was freshman defenseman Justin Nouhra’s thoughts on what he wants to do once practice is over, but this is often not as easy as walking up to the cafeteria, swiping his card, and getting some food. “When we get there it’s empty of food and people. They are putting up the chairs and there’s nothing left to eat,” says freshman defenseman Steve Marchetto. Freshman midfielder Sean Snodgrass added, “We rush to get to the cafeteria, but we get there and it’s closed. Then we end up having to eat snacks or spending money on fast food.” So it is clear that there is an issue here, and the easiest way to solve it would be to have the cafeteria stay open as little as 15 minutes longer. If only that was as easy as it sounds.
The cafeteria workers already work long days, so would it be too much to ask them to work 15 minutes longer? In a lot of ways it would be unfair to ask any more of them. The staff that makes sure that we get fed is extremely mistreated by their employer, Sodexo. “I went almost seven hours before I went on break,” says Barbara Ross, and employee of the Nagel cafeteria. This is one of the small injustices that the employees have to deal with. An investigative report done by the DU newspaper Fourfiftyone pointed out more than this just one mistreatment. Pregnant employees that have to take maternity leave are not guaranteed to have their jobs when they are ready to return to work. When the staff finally gets a break they are often not allowed to eat the food in the cafeteria. These are just minor issues compared to the fact that the employees are extremely underpaid. “My kids are on Medicaid because I can’t afford the healthcare,” says Celeste Lascano, a three year employee of sodexo. So it is clear that what would be a quick fix is not an option. There needs to be something way to fix the situation that doesn’t involve worse conditions for the workers.
It is evident that there is an issue that needs fixing here at DU. Could the answer lie with improving the conditions and pay of the sodexo employees so that it is fair and worthwhile for them to work longer? This is one option I would suggest. Another idea is giving athletes more meal plan cash on their meal plans so that they can go get food without spending large all their cash. This would allow students to get better food and help alleviate financial issues On campus options, such as the pub, could be open to athletes to use regular meal swipes. No matter what the fix is, something needs to be done to feed our athletes in a way that is fair to all parties.