Happy one month into the semester, Pioneers! While it may not feel as joyous with Mandarin Gourmet closing, we want you to celebrate nonetheless. 

Yes, Mandarin Gourmet is closing. With McDonald’s closing in April, Mandarin was one of the only affordable places to eat that downtown had left. It was such a staple and, daresay, a necessity for the Point Park community. Eating solely at the dining hall and cafe is not feasible, and Mandarin gave a great change of palate for the price, not to mention the food was also amazing. 

One meal at the cafe today can easily be well over fifteen dollars. Restaurants in the area rarely offer student discounts anymore, and with the state of inflation over the last several years, it has become very difficult to eat on and off campus and buy groceries. 

We do not need to preach to the choir about how stressful it is to be a college student or how hard it is to balance classes but also try to feed yourself. Food insecurity is a real problem, and more needs to be done to address this issue by Point Park and by local restaurants. Nearby campuses like Pitt get discounts at close restaurants and have several on-campus dining options. Yes, they are a much larger campus, but the least the Pittsburgh community could do is give Point Park students discounts for restaurants in Market Square and ones near campus buildings. Point Park is unique in that it is built within the city, but just because we are surrounded by restaurants and stores does not mean that we can afford them or that the school should rely on them. 

We urge you to utilize the Pioneer Pantry, a free pantry located on the second floor of Lawrence Hall. You can place orders at https://pioneerpantry.org/order.html. However, you can only order up to 10 items twice a month, and certain items are not guaranteed, like milk, eggs, etc. Point Park and Pittsburgh need to do more.