Upon returning to SUNY Oswego for the spring 2021 semester, Auxiliary Services decided to only have two dining halls open, Lakeside and Pathfinder. They assumed because of COVID-19 and a lot of students having mostly online classes, there would be less students on campus, but that created  stress for those students who did decide to return. 

By Jan. 28, all returning students arrived on campus and the lines for meals were crazy. All the students on West Campus were going to one dining hall, and all the students on Lakeside were going to another.

I live on West Campus, so I personally experienced the long lines for Pathfinder. The lines were past the doors and almost reached the tunnel door to Cayuga Residence Hall. There were so many students in line it was impossible to stand exactly six feet apart. I think it was a major health issue to have this many students standing so close to each other for an extended period of time. We were in line for over 30 minutes, which without the health concerns, was also ridiculous. You had students from two 10-floor buildings plus two other smaller buildings coming to eat their meals all around the same time, causing a huge amount of people standing in line. 

I think this was a bad decision to only have these two dining halls open because it made receiving meals more difficult. Something as simple as getting dinner was now taking forever, and people were standing really close to each other.

I was wondering what was going to happen when people were on a time crunch in between classes and just wanted a quick meal. Getting food from a dining hall quickly between classes would not have been possible. 

Dine-in was also going to be starting, and I was confused as to how that would work with so many students. Many people seemed annoyed and were complaining. Luckily this only lasted a few days and the students’ complaints were heard and Littlepage reopened for lunch on Feb. 2. This was the best decision to make because now there are less people in line, which allows for a healthier and less time consuming way to get a meal. 

This allows for anyone living in Onondaga and Oneida Residence Halls to eat at Littlepage instead of making their way to Pathfinder. 

Personally when getting lunch and dinner with my friends, it is now easier and less annoying because we are not waiting in line close to other students for a half an hour. 

I hope that Littlepage remains open for the rest of the semester so that way we can continue to get our meals in a healthier and faster way. 

Photo from Flickr