Early Closure to Cafeteria Stirs Hunger

by Amanda Panaro
edited by Erica Jordan

Too many students at Franklin Pierce University are going hungry at night because Sodexho just cannot satisfy those midnight snack cravings.

The main dining cafeteria is open weekdays from 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. and 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Raven’s Nest Pub hours are Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 6-11 p.m., and on weekends just 6-11 p.m.. According to an article published by Associated Newspapers Ltd, in 2007, the average time a family eats dinner is 7:47 p.m. as a result of longer, extended work hours. Translate this fact onto the campus of Rindge, factoring in the busy schedules of students, and nobody would ever make it to dinner on time for the cafeteria.
           
Franklin Pierce should extend their hours for the convenience of its students. Junior Ian McGinnes has a 150 block meal plan that includes Pub points. He suggested that the cafeteria itself be open until at least 8 p.m. McGinnes said, “I would go to the café if it was open late, then I would not have to use my Pub points.”
           
Nearby college, Keene State, has drastically different dining options. There are six locations on campus where students can get food, including some Cafés that are open as late as 11:30 p.m.. On a much larger nearby scale, the University of New Hampshire has nine locations on campus where students can get food. Their main cafeteria is open until 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; and the Philbrook Café on campus is open every night until 1 a.m.      

Senior Rugby player Zack Thamm said that the cafeteria should be open later, at least until 7:30 on weekdays, especially for the athletes on campus. Thamm said when he has Rugby practice from 4:30-6:30, “I couldn’t go before or after, because before- you’d throw up, and after- it’s closed.”      

Instead of re-vamping the appearance of the cafeteria at Franklin Pierce, Sodexho needs to focus on bettering their accessibility for students. To get any pre-made food on campus after 10:30 p.m., one must travel off campus. The school should provide a way to get food at least until midnight.