We are living to die.And the University is handing us a gun.Louisiana ranked last in the country for overall health, according to a December 2008 Associated Press story. This is by no means a new trend: Louisiana is well-known for being behind the rest of the country. Add in a mixture of unhealthy foods, humid (and thus lethargy-inducing) weather and an overly expensive and poor health care system, and it comes as no surprise.The University — the pinnacle of higher public education in our state — has made it clear it has no interest in helping initiate any real measures to promote healthy dining.”Nutrition instructor Judith Myhand said students gain weight because they no longer have parents fixing healthy meals on a daily basis,” according to a Nov. 24 Daily Reveille article.And while this is true, without a doubt, it is also true the University doesn’t exactly go the extra distance to create healthy options for students during the time when most students are probably hungry for dinner — 7 p.m. or later.The University, which claims to support healthy choices, offers myriad choices of meals throughout the day. A student looking for a healthier option can choose healthy meals in the Student Union, including healthy options in both dining halls, apparently the only things open late on campus are Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, CC’s Coffee in Middleton and the Minimart.The only place where a student can use a meal plan after 7 p.m. — yes, the very same meal plan the University forced on freshmen living on campus — is either Pizza Hut or Taco Bell.And, try as you might, there simply is nothing healthy about anything at either one of those establishments.This is interesting, especially considering the plethora of reports showing healthy eating can raise grades. And since the University is trying to remain a top-tier institution, while cutting a major portion of the budget — this seems strange.To recap: The University would benefit from healthy student diets, but instead it forces students to spend money on cards that only allow them to eat unhealthy food after 7 p.m.Wow.And we wonder why the rest of the country often sees us as a backward institution caring about little more than football.It sure seems like a simple fix, even amid budget cuts.When I was a freshman three years ago, portions of our cafeterias were open much later than 7 p.m. A smoothie and a sandwich on wheat was always an option to students.And considering there are more than a few classes that get out after 7 p.m., the logic of keeping the dining halls (and almost all other dining options) closed is pathetically and painfully flawed.Of course, personal responsibility plays into healthy dining as well. If a student is passionate enough, these things can be planned for. But the assumption that all students are going off campus for their dining needs — especially after having been forced to pay more than $1,000 to eat on campus — is blind.The University has a responsibility, not just to its students but to the state, to help teach healthier eating habits.And it creates for itself an even greater responsibility when it forces its on-campus freshman to eat on campus.So why exactly is this responsibility being ignored?Travis Andrews is a 21-year-old  English senior from Metairie.——Contact Travis Andrews at [email protected]