The letter “J” used to be associated with pleasant things, such as jelly beans, Jell-O, and Juicy Fruit. Now it conjures more sinister images such as junk food and J Street. Don’t get me wrong, I have not always had this issue with the letter J. As a matter of fact, as recently as three weeks ago, I was on perfectly good terms with it.

As anyone on GW’s meal plan should know, J Street is one of the “institutions” serving “food” on the Foggy Bottom campus. Its specialties include long lines, unhealthy overpriced food, and soda fountains that do not work. I have never heard of any establishment consistently messing up soda! It must be a phenomenon unique to our school.

I am not singling out J Street by any means. As a matter of fact, the dining halls at Thurston, Mitchell and HOVA stink (for lack of a better word)! HOVA is perhaps the worst of them all. The “rotating menu” should be called “regurgitated.” We pay $8.95 to take three bites and throw the “food” away. And this was the 1950s diner we were all excited about?

GW Dining Services is perhaps as misrepresenting as our neighbor at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

“J Street is sure to satisfy the most discriminating appetite,” was printed in the dining plan section of the 1999-2000 issue of “Home and Campus.” Ha! They obviously don’t eat there! In that same section it was written, “students can eat where they want, when they want, what they want and the amount they want.”

This last statement is the most insulting one I have heard since my arrival inside the beltway. The institution itself determines where and when we eat. Try finding edible items on the weekends. Hmmm! Will that be Burger King or will that be Burger King? All those (healthy) choices! What we want (good food) is not offered. Period. With meal plans for freshmen beginning at $1,350 per semester, GW has monopolized our appetites and jeopardized our waistlines for most of the year. This has got to stop.

I cannot believe that we, as the brightest four classes in the history of GW, allow this to go on! It is one thing to be charged a $50 voluntary library gift fee. We can overlook unnecessary fireworks expenditures. But to be pushed to the point where the only acceptable and affordable meal option is Jamba Juice (coincidentally beginning with my favorite letter) is too much. Speak up GW! Offer your suggestions to Dining Services on how to improve dining at GW today.

-The writer is a freshman majoring in international affairs.