3 The Southern NOVEMBER 8, 2019
OPINIONS
Single-use paper and plastic are Wynee’s ‘easy way out’ Sophia Gonzalez Entertainment Editor
Although Florida Southern College has supported sustainability incentives around campus in the past, offering plastic cups and straws at Wynee’s Bistro takes away from the significance of promoting greener on-campus alternatives. SGAsenators in the SGAFood Committee worked with campus administrators in order to increase the amount of recycling bins, access to clean water and to ensure that paper straws are being distributed throughout campus instead of their plastic counterparts. However, this year came with a lot of changes. As a former member of the SGA sustainability committee myself, seeing plastic cups distributed at such large quantities for one-time use makes me feel as if there’s a giant road-block on the way that prevents FSC from becoming a sustainable campus. On top of offering plastic cups, the school was offering plastic straws for some time at the cafeteria as well. All of the other on-campus dining options offer paper straws, which is why some people were confused when they saw the plastic straws. This year, administrators decided to change the dining style in the cafeteria to a la carte, which helped reduce the amount of food waste and helps keep track of the food that students are taking. Last year, students were able to select food items in a buffet-style setting when they visited Wynee’s Bistro. They served their food on non-disposable bowls, plates and served their drinks in non-disposable cups. Now, students pay for their food based on an a la carte option, and although students still use non-disposable plates, the school now offers plastic cups and straws. Vice President of Finance and SGA Senate sustainability committee head John Jack Lewis clarified that if there were any straws at the cafeteria, that they are just leftovers from what they have in storage.
“The school only purchases paper straws,” Lewis said. According to Food Service Director Tim Raible, the use of plastic cups accommodates the a la carte dining style. Offering plastic cups supports the a la carte dining style because cups can be stored behind the cash register and students can leave the building with the disposable cups. Plastic cups are also used in order to accommodate the new Steak ‘n Shake. Steak ‘n Shake is a new dining option on campus and uses plastic and paper cups. Since Wynee’s changed from being buffetstyle to a la carte, plastic cups make it easier for students to re-fill their cups. “If you go to Steak ‘n Shake and you want a coke, you can go to Wynee’s and [re]fill it,” Raible said. Although it’s easy to understand why the school decided to start handing out plastic cups in order to promote the new dining style, it’s disappointing to see them choose the easy way out. FSC students are interested in greener alternatives. Although most students dislike the paper straws because they turn soggy and make it hard to drink smoothies and other blended drinks, some have expressed interest in owning reusable metal straws. “Paper straws are an okay alternative,” FSC Senior Mark Haver said. “Metal, bamboo, and kelp straws are all better because they are less likely to degrade in your drink.” The option to replace paper straws and decrease plastic cup usage is feasible if the students had the school made the option to use reusable cups and straws available. Lewis suggested to sell reusable straws at the Moc Mart in a meeting that he had with Raible earlier in the year. However, he found that students can’t buy reusable straws with their points. “We cannot sell plastic straws with points [at the Moc Mart] because the way which points work, they’re untaxed,” Lewis said. He suggested that FSC should offer the
Reputation v. Revelry: Alcohol at FSC Hockey Nathalie Moreno Staff Writer
It’s the end of the game. The fans are roaring, despite the Mocs being on the losing side. What better way to enjoy the game to the fullest than to cool off with a bucket full of ice-cold beer? That is the same thing most of Florida Southern’s fan section thinks, particularly the students. Since hockey season has started, FSC students have been getting extremely drunk at the games. Doing so, they not only make a fool out of themselves but out of the college they represent. Having a beer or two is never an issue, especially not when it comes to watching sports. The problem lies in students yelling profanities and insults at the players of the opposing teams. The drunk students yell them out repeatedly, loud enough for the whole arena to hear. It goes from funny to embarrassing in the blink of an eye. The behavior shown by these students is the epitome of everything Florida Southern is against. Attending FSC means being a representative of the college. The actions of FSC students reflect on the teachings of the institution, and by the looks of the
intoxicated students at the hockey games, those teachings seem questionable. Now don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with having fun at a sports game, and there is nothing wrong with having a few drinks while you’re at it. However, these students make it a point to be as obnoxious and disrespectful as possible despite attending a school that preaches about integrity and holding high moral ground. I have yet to see a group from opposing schools act as reckless as some groups from FSC, bordering on the line of sloppiness. This is not to mention that getting completely wasted at the games is not safe, especially not if these students are driving there and planning on driving back. When students get too drunk to drive back to campus, it creates more of a struggle for the FSC shuttles that have to accept responsibility for those students. As I said before, I do not think there is a problem with drinking at the games. But if students are going to drink to the point where they cannot control themselves, they should plan ahead regarding their safety–and do so without representing Florida Southern.
Photo by Sophia Gonzalez
Ruth Stacy, an employee at Wynee’s Bistro, checks a student out in Wynee’s, where the default cups are plastic; students may ask for paper. option to purchase the reusable cups with real money so that students are aware that they have the option. However, the school and SGA could explore other ideas. Tutu’s Cyber Cafe sells reusable cups for hot drinks, so what if the school were able to sell reusable cups that they could use throughout different on-campus dining locations for cold beverages? For example, if students went to
Wynee’s Bistro and bought drinks, what if they had the option to buy the drink with a reusable cup and then bring it every time they wanted a drink instead of getting a new cup? They could bring their cups to Boar’s Head Deli or to the cafeteria and just pay regular price for the drinks. Since meal plan has left students with an influx of points, they shouldn’t mind paying a little extra for a reusable cup once.
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