During the first couple weeks on campus, as the somewhat stereotypical freshman, I asked myself many questions: I wasn’t the only one who managed to get locked out of my dorm three times within the span of a week, right? For how long is it considered socially acceptable for freshmen to utilize good ol’ Google Maps to get around campus? Would I ever learn self-restraint when it comes to the limitless dining hall desserts? Why are there two Fisher Halls on campus? And, most importantly, why does the University not offer breakfast on weekends?
According to the University’s Executive Director of Campus Dining Smitha Haneef, the Universityhas not offeredthreeseparate meals on weekends for atleastthe past two decades on account of logistic needs. Further,advicefrom theStudent Advisory Board for Campus Dining continues toindicatethatmanystudents prefer a10 a.m.dining option that features abrunch-style meal witha greaterselectionof food rather than a separate, albeit more limited, breakfast and lunch option.
While this seems like a justifiable reason, it is not a good enough reason to keep students who wake up early hungry and cranky.
If you’re anything like me, you love food. More importantly, you find it increasingly difficult to concentrate without sustenance. Correspondingly, on weekend mornings when my friends and I get up before10 a.m. — yes, it really is possible to do so — we tend to be very unproductive.
And at this point, I am sure you could say that my friends and I could walk down a block or so to the Wa or Starbucks to purchase a breakfast sandwich and a fancy cup of coffee (which we ultimately do) but we should not have to do that. According tothe ‘Prince’ columnist Newby Parton, paying for three meals a day can cost up to $54.24 under the Block 95 plan.Correspondingly, I believe that since a good chunk of us students already pay a hefty price for our daily mealsunder the University’s dining plans, we should not have to pay extrajust to have three square meals every day.
So what am I suggesting? Let’sextend dining hall operation hours inthe residential dining halls! By separating breakfast and lunchand having breakfast start at weekday times, or by having brunch start earlier on weekends, students who wake up early on the weekends will be able to replenish their bodies with a nutritious meal and start out their days right.
Because of the lack of early weekend dining hours, many students who wake up early and who prefer not to venture outdoors to purchase food skip breakfast or stay hungry for a few hours. Besides the inconvenience, this habit can lead to negative health effects. In fact, a study done at Harvard indicates that men who did not skip breakfast were at a much lower risk of getting coronary heart disease in the near future.
Moreover, many studies indicate that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.According to an article written by John Hopkins University Kinesiology and Health Education Professor Emeritus John Ivy, “Breakfast immediately raises the energy level of the body… reduces blood cortisol levels and helps control appetite… [and] also increases cognitive function and the ability to concentrate.”
In summary, breakfastis essential for students who have a lot to accomplish during the day and could use the boost of energy thatthe mealprovides. Thus, on weekends, either a separate breakfast that starts around7:30 a.m.should be available for students or brunch should start earlier so that students don’t feel compelled to skip breakfast altogether.
Now at this point I would like to clarify that breakfast — exclusive of brunch — is available on Saturdays; students can purchase breakfast with a cash credit of $4 from8 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.in the Food Gallery at Frist Campus Center. And while Frist isn’t too far of a walk for most students (sorry Forbesians), a walk to Frist might sound like a tedious task once the campus is covered by a thick sheet of snow. Moreover, for the students who had a bit too much to drinkon Fridaynight, walking to Frist to satisfy their hunger and get over their hangovers might not sound very appealing. Conclusively, because the Frist breakfast option is availableonlyon Saturdaysand not Sundays and is unappealing to those who would prefer to stay in their residential colleges for their meals, it is not a suitable replacement for weekend breakfast.
One solution for students who wake up early on weekends would be having the weekday residential college dining hours carry on to the weekends. And since the University’s Campus Dining administrationhas proven that it listens to student voices by changing its Sunday residential collegedining hours from starting at 11 a.m. to10:00 a.m.thisacademicyear, we know that although it is difficult, it is feasible toextendweekend dining hours even further.
Pranaya Anshu is a freshman from San Diego, C.A. She can be reached at panshu@princeton.edu
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