Eliyahu Gasson | opinions editor

Breakfast is often called “the most important meal of the day.” It’s the first hit of nutrients that help determine how much energy you’ll have to tackle the day ahead. Likewise, what you eat during the day helps to keep you alert, satisfied and healthy, things a productive college student needs to be. For some Duquesne students, getting a hold of that food can be difficult.

Mackenzie Blake, a freshman biology major and commuter, said that she occasionally eats in the dining options on campus, including retail options like Campus Market in Duquesne Towers. But buying food on campus, she said, can add up quickly.

“If it’s too expensive, I’m not going to buy it. I’d rather walk down to the gas station or Target,” she said.

Blake said she has tried to rely on meals from home, which are more cost-effective. But a packed lunch isn’t always enough.

“A longer day is when it’s not as easy to bring food that’ll be good for all day,” she said.

The cost of food at campus locations are often higher than they are at other retailers. A college staple like Cup Noodles costs $3.24 at Campus Market, while the same item at 7-Eleven is $2.29. Similarly, a single Chobani yogurt costs $3.89 at Campus Market and $2.29 at 7-Eleven. The price difference gets even more extreme when comparing campus prices to large retailers like Giant Eagle or Target, where the price of that same Chobani yogurt are $1.69 and $1.29 respectively.

Ethan Csont, a graduate student at Duquesne, works on campus for Parkhurst Dining. He speculated on why students may choose to shop at markets on campus, even though items tend to be more expensive that other retailers in the city.

“They’re probably banking on the convenience factor for students, especially people that live on campus to go to the market,” Csont said.

Like Blake, Csont said he tries to pack meals as often as possible in order to budget and maintain a healthy diet. However, he’s recently had to rely on on-campus options more. He said that, despite higher prices, he thinks students should be more patient with Parkhurst.

“I think that some of the time they are weighing not only what they are doing to keep employees happy and follow demand.”

He continued: “The pricing structure for the Duquesne University campus markets goes through extensive analysis each semester,” Tara Jacobson, general manager of retail operations for Pankhurst, said in an email.

Jacobson said there are many factors that go into determining prices on campus including market analysis, availability, how well a product sells and competitive market pricing.
Lack of produce on campus

Nellie Fallon, a senior marketing major, is a resident of Brottier Hall. Apartments in Brottier have kitchens, which gives Fallon the opportunity to cook her own meals, which she does three times a week.

The nearest store that sells groceries to campus is the Target in Downtown, a roughly 10-minute walk from Brottier. She said she usually shops off campus at Aldi and Trader Joes.

“A lot of my friends have cars on campus, some of them live in the South Side as well, so they always offer to drive me,” Fallon said.

In an article published by The Duke on Sept. 7, 2023 titled “Campus takes first step toward offering fresh food,” Jacobson told The Duke that a new market in Brottier Hall would potentially start selling produce to residents living in the building.

Fallon said she doesn’t shop in the Brottier Market often, but would benefit if Parkhurst started carrying produce again.

“Say the [grocery] store was out of something that I wanted produce wise, then I could just get it on campus,” she said.

When asked about produce being available at markets on campus, Jacobson told The Duke that Parkhurst did offer fresh groceries, expecting there to be demand from the building’s residents.

“… However, sales data indicated otherwise, leading us to replace fresh items with high-demand grocery staples like milk and eggs. These adjustments are ongoing, guided by continuous sales monitoring throughout the semester and academic year.”

Fallon said she still uses Brottier Market for items if she needs to.

“If I don’t have milk or eggs in my room, I guess I’ll just go to the market to get that,” she said.

Jacobson said that Parkhurst is always looking to expand their offerings to meet students’ needs. Feedback can be submitted to Parkhurst by scanning the QR code on the self-checkout kiosks used at the markets around campus.

“We continually adjust offerings based on sales trends and product availability, tailoring selections to each market’s location,” she said.