I would like to begin this Wespeak with a short anecdote. Upon returning from Freeman after a few hard games of basketball on Saturday at 7:00 pm, I wanted to grab some dinner. Generally, I am not a picky eater and can find something to eat at any of the dining locations around campus. My first stop was at Weswings. As I walked into the building at 7:18 pm, I heard the cashier shout out that their machine would no longer take points, but that we could pay cash. Not only is it completely absurd that a machine stops scanning our ID cards after 7:15, but who would actually pay cash at Weswings when it is way overpriced and does not serve quality food? Although I was left pondering these questions, I was not distraught because I would be able to get some food at another place. My second stop was at the Red and Black Café, a place where I often dine for lunch. However, as I pulled into the parking lot at 7:27, I noticed that the lights were off and it was closed. I was a little confused because I remember going there earlier in the week at 7:30 and being able to get food. My anger began to mount as I suddenly became very hungry, but I knew that I could find something to eat at the reliable first floor of the campus center. Continuing the theme of my dinner struggles, I read on the front door that the campus center was now closed for dinner on the weekends. By this time, I was outraged and had to settle for going to the grocery store and spending money.
As I was eating my less-than-satisfying meal, I began to realize how ridiculous and illogical it was that I could not find a place to eat past 7:15 on Saturday evening. This morning as I researched the dining website, I realized that this semester Summerfields would be open from 5pm-2am and I could have very easily gone there to get food. However, something still does not make sense in my mind. During the fall semester, students complained that being able to use points off-campus would result in workers losing their jobs. While I admit that I would prefer to have the option to use points off-campus, I fully comprehend Wesleyan’s concerns for the Aramark employees. It seems to me that opening Weshop and the campus center would solve everyone’s problems. Aramark would benefit because students would be spending points on campus rather than physical money at the grocery story, Aramark’s employees would make money because there would be an increase in hours available to work and students, like myself, would be happy because they actually have dinner past 7:15 pm at night. The only criticism I can think of to this system is that Aramark would be losing money because they would have to pay more workers their hourly salary. However, this is nonsense in my mind. As a senior here at Wesleyan, I can admit that I would spend at least 100 points just on Saturday evenings over the semester either buying food that I could cook for dinner, chasers for the night’s activities or snack foods that I would eat upon returning from a party late at night. With all things being said, I would simply like to have more than one option for dinner Throughout my four years here I have been very dissatisfied with both the food options and the quality that Aramark offers. However, I do not think it would be very hard to increase the hours of Weshop and the Campus Center on Saturday night.
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