For my readers that aren't familiar, Claflin University is a private Methodist HBCU located in Orangeburg, South Carolina; right next to South Carolina State University. It is known to be one of the top HBCU's in the United States, with a 52% alumni giving back rate. The campus is absolutely beautiful, and the students take much pride in such. Students from all over the United States come to South Carolina to attend Claflin University, however there is one aspect of the institution that makes it hard to stay on campus.

Claflin has made a impact this upcoming year by extending cafeteria hours. Because of the massive amount of freshmen on campus, Claflin's cafeteria staff has also had to increase. Breakfast is the best dining shift to go to, simply because there isn't many ways to mess up an egg; but why can't the quality of the food increase as well? The flavor of the beef and the flavor of the rice should never be the same! The options are ridiculously limited, and some food isn't thoroughly cooked. Some students do not have the option of driving for food, so the cafeteria is what they depend on.

My father would always talk to me about his cafeteria food at Berea College was always made from scratch, and reminded him of home cooked meals. I completely understand that the need for food is much greater at a University, however if more time and effort was put into the taste of every meal, opposed to just putting food out to students, we would be more excited about eating there. Claflin Universities tuition went up this academic year. I personally believe that some of the additional funds should have been used to increase the quality of the product given to students.

Claflin also has additional food choices on campus. The Pizza Hut and Jazzman's Cafe are two options that are absolutely amazing. Most students prefer these options over the cafeteria food simply because of the quality, however these places get tiring after repeatedly eating them. If we were to make it a priority to make our cafeteria a tastier place, there wouldn't be a problem at all.