With recent health scares in the national and international news, recent news concerning health violations incurred by dining facilities around campus is certainly alarming. The violations cited by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services should simply not be tolerated. We constantly hear about new improvements being made to the dining facilities, and we do appreciate the impulse to provide a variety of eating environments on campus. However, the health and safety of the students, staff, and faculty must come first.

Prices for food on campus are already marked up far beyond normal supermarket prices. Even with a huge markup, students still dig into their pockets for a bite to eat. Individuals on campus are entitled to the quality service they pay for. Given that there hasn’t been a health scare as of yet on campus, we should all heave a sigh of relief. However, we do expect Campus Dining to take some action concerning these violations. If nothing is done, it may not be long before we have to worry about more than just spinach.