Frist has lost a valuable social space for students

Students returning to campus this fall looking for a late-night Snapple or slice of pizza at Frist are in for an unpleasant surprise: From now on, the downstairs gallery will be closing with the last late meal. The C-store will remain open at night and some pizza will continue be sold from Café Viv, but we think that Dining Services would be wise to reconsider its decision.

Dining Services has largely used economic rationale to justify its decision: The space isn't being used efficiently after late meals, they claim, so it makes sense to move late night snacks to a smaller venue. While this seems reasonable, Dining Services has also felt compelled to pad its argument further, by providing late night entertainment and "programming" — to use Dining Service's director Stu Orefice's words — in the gallery space. Apparently pizza tastes better in Café Viv than in the gallery, and a cappella groups sound better on the Frist staircase than in Blair Arch.

At this point it's unclear what performing groups or "programs" would volunteer to fill a cafeteria-style space like the gallery, particularly when there is no cafeteria to draw students in. But the fact that Dining Services feels the need to put something in that space shows that they understand something very simple about the gallery: Students like to hang out there.

Sure, we can complain about cold pizza in Café Viv or the lack of ice cream at midnight, but the real reason students are upset about the gallery's new hours is because it's a great spot to hang out — and at Princeton, those places are few and far between. Not being a real college town, Princeton lacks those quaint coffee shops and quirky bars that stay open well past midnight and provide a place for late night socializing. There are the eating clubs, of course, but sometimes even the most loyal fan of the Street needs some time away from from Beast and loud music. When it comes to just hanging out, Frist has been our lifeline.

Of course, Frist isn't closing altogether — there will always be Café Viv, pool tables and the big TV. But Café Viv is already crowded on weekends, and that's before you add in the students flooding back from the Street. The café also has its own atmosphere with its dark lights and indie artists; it's great, but not quite as chill as the gallery.

We appreciate that Dining Services is trying to be responsible with our money. But at the same time, you have to wonder why they couldn't consider leaving the gallery open longer, at least on weekends. Sometimes you just need a nice big space to relax, run into people and watch your drunk friends fall down the Frist staircase. Café Viv may be able to sell pizza, but there are some other functions it just can't replace.