By Alex Mellen | Echo
One of my favorite perks as a senior is my unlimited Grille pass. My class schedule allowed me to get a transfer my freshman year, when my classes ran over lunchtime, and since then I've been hooked.
But I can be a pretty forgetful student, so I've gone to the Grille a few times during faculty and staff hours, that time from 11:50 to 12:20 when the Grille is reserved exclusively for professors, employees and other staff to get their lunches. It's not required for them to go at this time, but students can't order, pick up food or check out with their ID card.
Usually, if I forget and try to enter the Grille during faculty and staff hours, I'll either notice the absence of students or be reminded by whomever is working the checkout. But one day a couple of weeks ago, something strange happened.
I had just come from an interview, so I was a bit more dressed up than usual. I thought it was odd that nobody was ordering food but didn't think too hard about it. I approached the counter and ordered a quesadilla. The Grille employee (not a student) put my order on, and I browsed my side selections. After a few minutes, the worker called me back and asked if I was a student paying with an ID card. I said yes . . . why? It was faculty hours.
"Does that mean I can't get my food?" I asked.
The answer: Pretty much. I'm still not sure what happened to that quesadilla.
Let me restate-no one was there. No professors, administrators or employees. Apparently (and I'll take this as a compliment) I looked like a faculty member, which got me a golden ticket inside the Grille at the forbidden hours.
This was a fluke incident, but it solidified my feelings about the restricted times. I've had other problems due to this that are more than flukes. I've been unable to get my lunch until 3 p.m. because the one time I could grab lunch between classes was 11:50-12.
The chaos before and after faculty/staff hours is frustrating as well. After getting kicked out without my lunch, I wandered around the Union and talked to some friends until 12:20. But by then, students had formed a line at the Grille, waiting to order their food.
It just doesn't make sense to leave students out in the cold while Grille workers have no one to serve. I know the reasoning that if one student gets away with ordering during faculty hours, lots more could.
I understand that Taylor employees may only have a short time for lunch. But so do some students.
I understand that Taylor professors may be rushing between classes. But so are some students.
So let's solve this problem. Why not let students get food anytime they want, but let professors and employees cut to the front of the lines so they can be sure to be served in time? This seems like a win-win situation to me. Faculty members always get priority service, and students can get food anytime the Grille is open.
Or why not let students get grab-and-go items only, and leave the deli lines open for faculty? Getting food at the Grille is only time-consuming if you want a custom-made pizza or wrap. And students rushing between classes-the group I'm trying to help-don't have time to order a pizza anyway.
If you're one of those students who is missing lunch because you only have time between your 11 and 12 o'clock classes, I feel for you. If you're a senior who planned to grab something to eat before heading to your apartment but can't, I feel for you too. There is a more efficient system. Let's find it.
