Peter Caty/The Mirror
Sophomores Brendan Sarpu and Anthony Sbona compile their money to pay for the large pizza and cheesy bread that they have just ordered from Domino’s. Their stomachs grumble as they await the arrival of their late night snack. Although they already ate dinner at 7:15 pm, they are still awake and hungry at midnight due to the combination of a late night of homework and the early dinner at Barone Dining Hall. Sarpu and Sbona are not the only college students who utilize the delivery services of Domino’s and other off-campus options. Many students find themselves awake and hungry late at night due to the early dinner that they are forced to have.
Barone, the only dining hall on campus, is only open until 7:30 p.m, an early closing time considering the late bedtime of most college students. This time is also extremely early compared to dining halls on other campuses.
Although The Stag, the on-campus snack bar, is open until 9:00 p.m., this time also poses a problem for many people. Students who take late afternoon classes that end at 6:15 or 6:45 p.m., followed by night turbo classes from 7:00-9:30 p.m., may lose any chance to eat a full dinner on campus.
“As a swimmer, we get out of practice and have to rush to get to dinner,” Sarpu said. “It sucks to have to hurry to get to dinner, and then rush while you eat.”
He also noted that the rugby team has similar problems because their practices end later in the evening as well.
In regards to the quality of the food served just before closing, Sbona said, “They say they close at 7:30, but try getting decent food at 7:15.”
Many students who wait until the last possible moment to eat dinner at Barone find the quality of the food is not as good as the food served earlier on in the evening.
General Manager of the University’s Sodexo Catering Service Bryan Davis, says the dining hall hours at Barone are determined by average student count at the later hours of operation.
“Two years ago we were open until 8:00 p.m.,” Davis said. “We measured traffic flow, meaning student count at that later hour and the evidence showed us there wasn’t a need to run it that late.”
Other universities acknowledge that college students need longer, more flexible hours for their dining services to accommodate the schedules of everyone who needs an on-campus meal.
Boston College, although larger than Fairfield, has seven on-campus dining halls. Three of those dining halls are open until 2 a.m. every day, two are open during lunch hours, one is open during dinner hours, and one is open from early morning to just after dinner, according to Megan Tincher, a junior at Boston College.
Loyola College in Maryland, another Jesuit school closer to the size of Fairfield, has two on campus dining halls. One of these dining halls is open until midnight every day, and the other is open until 10 p.m. There is also an on-campus market that is open until 2 a.m. everyday, according to Christine O’Sullivan, a junior at Loyola College in Maryland.
If Fairfield students miss their opportunity to eat dinner in Barone their options are either The Stag or The Levee. The Stag requires dining dollars or cash, while The Levee only accepts StagBucks or cash.
The Stag and the Levee are not buffet style, like Barone, so they both require that you pay for each individual piece of food that you want.
“You blow through $50 at The Stag when you go just a couple of times,” Sbona said. “It’s hard to get a full meal there for under $10.”
Freshmen and sophomores, who live in dorms, do not have the ability to make their own meals and do not have cars on campus. This leaves them with only one option for late night cravings: ordering out. The only restaurants that deliver are pizza places, Chinese food, and other greasy, unhealthy food. Because of this, students are not only spending excess money on food but are also indulging in unhealthy eating habits.
Barone is the one dining hall on campus, providing many students with all of their meals throughout the week. According to students, the amount of money spent with each swipe from Sonia or Mary should provide students with high quality food, as well as flexible, longer hours to accommodate the rigorous schedules of college students.
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