Starting this year, the given dining dollar amount on every meal plan has been decreased greatly.
On top of that, the DC cut breakfast on the weekends all together, opening at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday for brunch. Boren’s hours stayed the same on weekends and on weekdays. During the week stations close in between 8 and 11 p.m. The only station open past 10 p.m. is Emma & Charlie’s. Dashi and Fresh close at 8 p.m., while Chick-Fil-A closes at 10 p.m.
All changes were announced via email to students before the start of the semester.
“It’s a constantly evolving, adapting and changing program,” said Steve Olson, associate vice president of business development and services, in last week’s news story about this subject.
He also said that changes like this happen frequently.
When the Echo first heard about the change in hours, we were caught off guard. Part of the college experience is eating fast food with your friends at midnight and laughing hysterically because the only thing keeping you going is a greasy Chick-fil-A sandwich, waffle fries and a chocolate shake. How else are we supposed to earn the “fabled” freshman fifteen?
You can’t do that if the only fast food restaurant within walking distance closes at 10 p.m. You’d have to drive to get the calorie-packed punch you need to finish that Bib Lit paper you waited until the last minute to do.
Sophomore Katy O’Malley said that she didn’t notice a change in the dining dollar amount and that the availability of food at the DC and Boren didn’t bother her personally.
Along with O’Malley, however, sophomore Alyssa Farrell does understand why some people are angry about the change.
“I’m just sure that the people who have made that decision are prioritizing other things instead,” Farrell said. “So, I think it’s in the interest of everybody as a whole.”
A theory we had to explain the cut in dining dollars is because of the usual mad dash to use them all at the end of the semester. There were those few people that used all of their dollars before the end, but there were a lot of other people who didn’t get close to spending them all.
We feel the change, while at first a big deal, makes sense for the university. If the majority of students have had trouble using all their dining dollars in the past, then it’s smart to cut down the amount to something manageable.
Overall, this is a good change. We understand that some might be fired up about this, and in that case, we respect your view on the situation. In the long run, it was a smart decision for the university.
Boren campus center
