The University Park campus has more students, more teachers, more buildings and more breakfast cereal than any other Commonwealth Campus in the Pennsylvania State University system. Students at University Park might take the cereal selection for granted, but at other university campuses students aren't as lucky when it comes to breakfast cereal.

Each dining commons at University Park offers 12 different varieties of breakfast cereal, currently chosen from 22 different possiblities: everything from Cheerios to Marshmallow Blasted Fruit Loops. Most Penn State Commonwealth Campuses feature no more than eight different varieties of cereal, with many campus dining facilities offering a mere six varieties, half of what University Park offers. Add to that the fact that the daily selection doesn't change very often and you have cereal inequality.

Bill Allen, Jr. (junior-information sciences and technology), a student at Penn State Berks, is disgruntled. "We are . . . Penn State," he said, "yet they put a lot less money into this campus in a lot of different aspects, including cereal."

Many students at University Park agreed with this sentiment.

Zasha Vargas (sophomore-international politics) said, "They probably feel they're getting the shorter end of the stick since we're a bigger campus."

But there are also students at University Park who, while sympathetic to the plight of others, accept the disparity as fair.

"I guess every campus deserves the same selection, but having a bigger campus, it's fair in a way," said Megan Roberts (freshman-communication).

The Offices of Housing and Food Service Operations at various Commonwealth Campuses defend their cereal selection by saying that students' wishes are honored if at all possible. "I want to give them what they want," said Heidi Leiden, manager of Housing and Food Services at Penn State McKeesport.

This attention to student satisfaction is apparent at all campuses. Here at University Park, Jeanette Schreiber (sophomore-English) remembers the measures she and her friends went to to help ease the pain and suffering of a friend. After making numerous requests Schreiber and her friends got what they wanted: Raisin Bran Crunch at Redifer.

But student concern over breakfast cereal is rare. At many Commonwealth Campuses, administrators say that most students don't seem to mind the lack of choices. Most campuses conduct surveys and have request boxes; a student is always free to talk to a manager personally. But, according to Cindi Pander, assistant manager of Housing and Food Services at Penn State Erie, they don't get very many requests concerning cereal.

After talking to many managers of Housing and Food Services, it actually seems that cereal consumption is generally down.

Jennifer Eckenrode, assistant manager of Housing and Food Services at Penn State Altoona College said "the students seem to eat in trends." Eckenrode said that these days, healthier options such as the salad and pasta bars are being utilized more often.

Ironically, those that do eat cereal at Penn State campuses enjoy the unhealthy "sugar" cereals. "As long as you don't take away the Lucky Charms they don't care," said Panders, referring to the popularity of sugar cereals over healthier choices such as Grape-Nuts or Shredded Wheat.

At the Dickinson School of Law, business services director Karlisma Souders has actually thought about canceling the breakfast cereal line due to the low demand. Souders takes a "silly rabbit, Trixs are for kids" approach to the low cereal demand. "It's an older group of students so maybe they've outgrown it," she said.

There are plenty of law students who disagree. Jerry Harris, Jr., a third year law student, is one of them. "I eat a lot of cereal . . . Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops, those kinds of things."

But even if demand for breakfast cereal is down at some Penn State campuses, there are still plenty who want the happy, tasty treat. When asked about potential reaction to taking away cereal in the dining commons, Glenn Zuck (sophomore-finance) said he doesn't foresee any riots, but he does believe that fewer people would frequent the dining commons.

And then there are those at other campuses who feel left out to begin with. "All Penn State campuses should have the same things," said Michelle Gospodarek (senior-elementary education), a student at Penn State Harrisburg, where breakfast cereal isn't even offered.

But as Jeanette Schreiber, the Raisin Bran Crunch girl, says, "it's the way it has to be."