It's Not Margie's Fault

PSU students' favorite meal exchange is no longer offered at The Sidewalk Café. The ever-popular coffee and bagel combo was a staple of the campus dining options, but has been cancelled by the University's administrators to ensure the budget would not run a deficit.

"I've had many, many complaints," Marg Spead stated of the recent change. Spead, and her quick-handed coworker Betty, remember the popularity of the meal exchange that created a human traffic jam through the HUB beginning at 11am until the Café's close at 2pm. "The line definitely isn't back to the bookstore anymore, it's more steady," Spead said. The Café now has less student customers than ever before due to the $3.98 charge for a medium coffee and a bagel that was once simply deducted from a meal plan.

"Everyone used to get the meal exchange. It was like a daily thing to get a bagel and visit Marg and Betty," student customer Brendon Nelson explained of the tradition many have had since their first year at PSU.

"It is not Margie's fault," Assistant Vice President for student affairs Frank Cocchiarella explained. Cocchiarella made the decision due to the drop in undergraduate students this fall. Cocchiarella and other PSU administrators predicted the number of students on the meal plan to drop by 250.

"With fewer students on the meal plan we have less funds to run the operation," Cocchiarella stated, emphasizing the decision to cut the Café's meal exchange was not made lightly.

Trying to do right by PSU, Cocchiarella expressed, "I believe this is a good thing... As over the last 10 years when we had excess revenue over the budget it did not go to Sodexo. This money went back into the program. We were able to buy new equipment, make enhancements to the facilities and add many new programs such as meal exchanges, more cook to order and increased hours of service."

Although disappointing to some students, the cancellation of the bagel meal exchange was done for the betterment of PSU.