Fresh out of the gym on a Saturday around noon, Samantha Holle, a junior secondary education major, wipes the sweat from her head as she walks to the Student Union Building food court. Opening the black doors of the SUB, Samantha can practically taste the sushi she has been anticipating all day. She hurriedly walks down the stairs, takes a left, then another left and then a final left into the sushi area, only to discover it is closed. What else is there? Sandellas, but it does not open until 1 p.m. She just wanted to eat healthy.
Holle is not alone in her complaint. Many students said that because most of the SUB food court is closed on weekends they are left with few options and have to spend extra money to eat off-campus
“As college students we can’t always afford to get food off-campus,” said Dave Vitone, a junior business major.
Students do not like an alternative to the SUB: Hasbrouck Dining Hall, which is open on weekends. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 11a.m. until 3 p.m., extended brunch is from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. and dinner is served from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Although Hasbrouck is available for students on weekends they complain about it not having enough healthy options.
“The only thing I enjoy eating at Hasbrouck is brunch because I can get cereal,” said Holle. “Plus, if you go there after 3 p.m. nothing is left that I would ever consider eating.”
Representatives from Campus Dining Services said that until recently the SUB was not open on weekends, but they have taken measures in the last two years to try to change that. Renovations have been made in order to give students more options to get food.
“Two years ago we started by changing the SUB from having nothing open on the weekends to having Jazzman’s Café running from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on both Saturdays and Sundays,” said Michelle Chapin, SUB director. “Last year we added to that by opening Sandella’s from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. so that when Jazzman’s closes there will be another choice for students.”
Students said that despite the recent changes they have still had bad experiences with not being able to get food.
“After the gym a few Saturdays ago, I had a craving for sushi so I thought going to the SUB would be convenient,” said Alexandra Cocchiara, a junior elementary education major. “But I went into the SUB and nothing was open so I had to go to Subway and use cash instead of my pre-paid meal plan.”
Students said that although they have to spend money they would rather go off-campus to eat because the other options are not the best.
“I think it’s annoying because Hasbrouck does not have the best food and that is what we are left with besides Oscars, that opens at 7 p.m.,” said Holle. “I have to spend extra money in order to prevent myself from eating bad food.”
"They don’t care what we eat, or if we spend extra money off-campus."
Students said that the limited options for food on the weekends do not allow them to make use of their pre-paid meal plans.
“When Dining Services do not offer multiple choices for food on the weekends it makes me believe that they don’t care what we eat or if we spend extra money off-campus,” said Heather Ferreira, a sophomore.
Campus Dining Services said that students may be upset because they are unaware of their good intentions.
“We did it very discreetly so students may not notice our efforts but it’s a risk we have to take in order to keep a nice appearance,” said Ralph Perez-Rogers, general manager of Campus Dining Services.
Campus Dining Services said that the new design of the SUB—implemented by the renovations for fall 2006—has allowed them to open parts individually as opposed to having to operate all stations as a whole.
“If we had to just open up one section, such as the deli, we are able to do that because of the new gates and glass doors,” said Perez-Rogers.
Students said they understand that it would cost more financially to keep the SUB running on weekends. However, they do not know why CAS would make these renovations if they weren’t going to open it.
“Obviously it would cost a lot of money,” said Kevin Conlon,” a junior business major. “But why spend a lot of money building separate food sections if they are not serving their purpose?”
Students were recently encouraged to participate in the food service questionnaire to comment on the quality of CAS and the dining facilities. However, some students do not take this seriously.
“So we answer a few questions about the food and magically it gets fixed?” said Cocchiara. “Our comments will not lead to any change in the quality of the food, because I have made suggestions to Hasbrouck before and it is still the same.”
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