One of the things I made sure to check out before choosing a college was the food. It’s an important thing and something that we as students have the opportunity to enjoy every day. Slippery Rock’s food really is top notch, the set up is designed to offer great variety and quality, contrary to what some may say about getting a bad case of the “Boozels.”
The thing is, food is a basic necessity of life and I expect the same quality of food to be maintained on a weekend or any time during the semester that the campus is not shut down.
AVI is a constant disappointment in this respect. The limited offering on weekends and during breaks (some of which are fictitious) is appalling.
Most students would probably agree that there are a high number of students that go home during the weekends or during breaks, but there are a good number who stay. Some students stay because they live far away, others want to escape their home life, and some, like me, just love college. Slippery Rock is my home and there is nowhere else I would rather be.
I understand that paying employees and offering full service may not initially be the most cost effective strategy for the dining locations, but the current approach is perpetuating a push for Slippery Rock University students to go home on the weekends. It encourages them not to stay. It is pushing them not to acclimate to college, not to find their home at Slippery Rock and not to enjoy the ever-growing opportunities present on this campus after 4:00 p.m. on a Friday and before 9:00 p.m. on a Sunday.
We have close to 200 clubs and organizations on this campus and many are very active on the weekends and host events for the entire student body, such as the SGA movie series. Beyond that weekends are the best time to get to know students on campus and enjoy recreational activities, such as going to the ARC or going bowling at Coffaro’s. Finally, weekends are a time to relax in the comforts of your room and get some work done or just enjoy some time on the beautiful campus. To limit food options only diminishes the number of students that become involved in this life style and hinders the enjoyment of those that do.
This may very likely also affect retention. Unhappy students don’t stick around for long, and if a student cannot adjust to living on campus or feel like they are not welcome to be at their own home you can bet they’ll find a new home.
I’m not saying that students are not staying on campus simply because the dining options are minimal, but it definitely doesn’t help. I dread eating on the weekends, knowing that I’ll need to either get aged pizza at Piazza or make it to Boozel for brunch and try to have a meal large enough to make it through the day. The food is reduced in quality and selection at both locations.
During breaks, this problem becomes even more exacerbated when every dining location shuts down, with the exception of the already limited hours of Boozel. This occurrence was especially frustrating last year during Easter weekend. Slippery Rock is a state school, and Easter is a religious holiday. It does not matter to me how many students are “anticipated” to leave campus, there should not be reductions made to the dining operations to accommodate for that.
AVI, your food is awesome when you put forth the effort. I just wish I could see that more regularly from you.
