For many of us, the hardest shock after coming back to Colgate from Spring Break is the cold. It is never easy going from being newly tanned and wearing bathing suits and flip flops to suddenly having to put on a parka and snow. However, while forced to face the feat of beating the cold, I, for one, as well as the majority of my friends, have the most difficult time adjusting to Colgate food. Whether home or away, students undoubtedly miss fresh produce, home cooked meals and the wide variety of food options available to them at home in comparison to well… what we have at Colgate.

With all our grandiose eating facilities and delectable dishes at Frank, the Edge and the Coop, it’s no wonder that my roommates and I were itching to go out for a real meal our first night back at school. Fortunately for us, similar to the wonderful eatery options available on campus, downtown Hamilton has a plethora of cuisine options available to students as well…or not.

Let’s face it: there are simply not enough food options available to students downtown. There’s Parkside, and the Colgate Inn if you really feel like having that skirt steak yet again (thanks to their constantly updated menu), but what if you are feeling adventurous? It’s true, there is always Sushi Blues, but with its great, friendly and fast service, it’s generally the last place I want to go. In fact, just the other day a friend of mine ran into a mishap with the Sushi Blues owners. After waiting an hour and a half for our $140 three pieces of sushi and Dixie cup of seaweed salad, we were berated by the owner after questioning a misprint on the bill. Because there are no other options, the current food establishments are able to monopolize. They can choose to open and close whenever they wish, even when inconvenient, and can afford to be obnoxious and inconsiderate to their costumers.

So what is a Colgate student, who can not palate the quality Chinese food of Main Moon or stomach yet another slice from any of the four pizza places (Slices, Oliveri’s, Pizza Pub, Pizza Hut or the soon-to-be opened one), to do? I suppose one could always drive a half hour to Clinton (Hamilton College’s downtown), 40 minutes to Cazenovia, or make the trek all the way to Syracuse or Utica. But what about the rest of us lazy people?

While a new boutique (though still lacking) has opened up downtown to fulfill the need of shoppers, there are still a number of empty stores on Broad Street just waiting to be filled. Would it not be in Colgate’s interest to possibly open up a few new eateries, maybe one with food students actually want to eat? Not only would it pump some revenue into the town of Hamilton, but it would definitely work to the University’s benefit by attracting more students to Hamilton. The questions all prospective students ask are “What is there to do?” and “What is downtown like?” A few more restaurants would definitely liven up the campus, providing a little variety to lighten up these remaining gray, foggy and cold days at Colgate.