LYDIA TURCIOS
Art Director
Adjusting back to campus life has been a trial for many students. You might find yourself feeling as if you are stuck in limbo — almost, but not quite back to normal.
The dining situation certainly has not helped.
In a past article on the subject, “Fredonia Cafe Closure for Dummies,” Director Darin Schulz said the state of the cafe’s would be assessed based on student needs and adapted accordingly.
But, for those of us sans a kitchen, you might have noticed the remains of on-campus dining is not the most accessible. While we wait for further commentary, here is the question: do students feel that their needs are met?
That’s up in the air, especially with the unexplained gutting of the Sprout Cafe, Fredonia’s only dedicated vegan option on campus.
Justina Eodice, a junior, was understandably concerned due to being vegetarian herself.
“It’s just ridiculous because there are also people with food allergies and religious reasons that now are not able to get proper nutrition,” Eodice said.
This could lead to less eating, and “less eating means less energy and motivation which leads to a decline in stamina for their coarse loads. It can also lead to a decline of mental health, which can lead to endless possibilities whether that be depression, self harm, eating disorders and suicidal tendencies,” Eodice said.
Notably, there are no plans to supplement the absence of the Sprout Cafe’s menu on campus as far as we are aware.
Besides the logistical issues behind removing the Sprout Cafe, the emotional attachment some students have to the campus must also be taken into account.
As the Sprout Cafe was removed with little notice, Matthew Spencer, a senior, was surprised by its sudden absence from Fenton Hall. He had met and spent most of his time with Fun and Logic clubmates at the Sprout Cafe when he first started as a freshman in 2018. The cafes are where he spent most of his time doing his work and meeting new people.
“With the event of the closures,” Spencer says. “The incoming freshman don’t have the same luxury or opportunity. The lack of convenient public spaces will only drive freshmen to hate it here.”
The Sprout Cafe may be the only gutted cafe, but it is not the only one to close.
Of the five cafes that were previously on campus, only two are operational. The only cafes currently open are Cafe Mason and FredExpress, both with limited hours.
Why these were chosen over the others is a matter of speculation. FredExpress may make sense for being a quick C-store like stop, but Cafe Mason is out of the way for many students who have no reason to enter the music building.
Cafe McEwen is more likely to cross the average student’s path and would be much more convenient due to being located right next to Reed Library, where students are likely to need a quick recharge. Yet, it remains closed for the semester.
Between the closing of the cafes, the limited dining hours of all dining establishments and the still-controversial state of Willy C’s, eating just isn’t as convenient anymore. The overcrowding isn’t a surprise when there are less places for the student body to choose from. This reduction of dining areas may seem counterintuitive to some, in particular an anonymous student who says that it’s laughable how the Willy C’s faculty tries to enforce social distancing on the overcrowded line when they don’t even open all the kiosks.
“Why limit where we can eat if you want students to social distance?” the anonymous student said. “Starbucks, Cranston and especially Willy C’s are always so crowded no one can stay six feet apart. You’re standing in-line with a bunch of people as close as can be because the line already goes out the door and there’s so many people sitting inside around you with their masks off eating. There’s no way for someone to follow the rules and be safe and get food at the same time.”
Whatever reasons the administration has for the state of the cafe’s, it’s difficult to say the new policies are fair to students. There is very little convenience involved, and for many it may seem more sensible to simply get delivery or cook your own food.
Unfortunately, this is a college campus and not everyone has a piggy bank quite big enough to pay for grocery shopping and a meal plan.
So, what do you do when your meal plan is the same price as two years ago, but half as accessible?
Dawn Jessica Payne got tired of the mental gymnastics of figuring out when dining was open quickly, and when everything was closed after her evening classes she resorted to just skipping meals.
“Basically this all boils down to the fact that we pay so much to be here but we’re getting more and more taken away from us as students. I remember when we had multiple food options, when things were open later and we had more choices.” She says, “The vending machines are even being taken out of class halls and our prices are still the same as before COVID-19.”
How the student body adapts to the current dining situation remains to be seen. But, hey, we’re college students. We can probably survive off of chips and monsters if we really have to.