After nearly four years of dining hall food, I am often disappointed at what I see when I enter the food lines. I must, however, give the dining hall credit for not serving meat on Lenten Fridays and Ash Wednesday. As a practicing Catholic, I am also a practicing student who keeps quite busy and has a lot of work to do on a daily basis. Often the first thing on my mind is not "Oh shoot! I cannot have meat today." I'd like to thank the dining hall for reminding me that it is, in fact, the season of Lent. Yes, I know that eating meat on a Friday will not kill me or condemn me to eternal damnation, but I do remember that Lent is a time in which we remember Christ's sacrifice. For the majority of students here who practice the faith that this University builds itself on, I see the dining hall's no meat policy as helpful, and I extend my gratitude to food services for upholding the beliefs our university is founded upon.
Another student wrote on Feb. 26 that he was "offended and angry" at the dining hall for not serving meat. He accused our administration of fascism for not offering meat in the dining hall. To him I say, if you are offended by a religion that preaches salvation and forgiveness for all -which last time I checked weren't major tenets of fascism - then perhaps you should be more accepting of the environment that you are in. Next time my Jewish friends at home invite me to a Seder meal, I won't get offended that I have to eat bitter herbs and unleavened bread rather than prime rib and a baked potato. I will be mindful of the sacrifices that their ancestors made thousands of years ago and the traditions that their religion carries today.
Stop being so "offended" by Catholic traditions. If you must eat meat, go to Burger King. A cheeseburger costs less than $1 there, so it won't destroy your flex points either.
Chris BaughmanseniorKeenan HallFeb. 25
