Extended dining hall hours at the UC provides students with more options for meal times
2 min read
umw.edu
By KEELY CERVANTE
Staff Writer
In a college setting, the stress of classes and activities can leave a person constantly hungry. The University Center houses most of the dining options available on campus, including the main dining hall as well as Qdoba, Lil Joe’s and Jamba Juice. Although the food is located centrally on campus, the hours of the dining facilities are not convenient for students. Typically, the hours for the dining hall are usually from 7 a.m to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The main dining hall at the fourth floor of the University Center have extended the closing time from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Extending the hours is a good choice for the University Center because it gives students an extra hour to come to the dining hall and get food whether they have just gotten out of sports practice, had an evening class, or want a late night snack.
“I think it’s [the new hours] actually really helpful, because with swimming and studying, it’s very difficult to align my schedule so I can have time to eat dinner as well as study when I need to,” said Zachary Wallace, a student on the UMW swim team.
Many teams at UMW have practice later in the day, so it can sometimes be difficult for athletes to get dinner in the evening because by the time they are done with practice, the dining hall might be closing. “I’m pretty good with the hours now. I never need to hit the UC later than 8ish. But it is nice not having to rush in by 7,” said Jason Elms.
Because of the increase in hours, many students have a better chance of getting food at a later time without having to rush before closing time. Although there are other campus food options like Qdoba and Vocelli’s, some of the dining facilities are only able to take flex. which is not an option for some students with limited meal plans.
The UC dining hall is an easy way to grab a meal, and with added time people have the ability to get food whenever they get the chance to do so. This is yet another reason that the increase in UC hours will have a positive effect on the student body. Overall, this change in the hours at the University Center dining hall was a good decision and will allow more students the opportunity to eat meals on a busy schedule.
