Give independent options

While the eating clubs of Prospect Avenue and the soon-to-be redesigned residential college dining halls have dominated campus discussion of dining options, a significant percentage of upperclassman (over 20 percent) do not eat at either. It is of concern that the University is not providing adequate support for independent students who seek to find a happy medium between enjoying the flexibility and freedom of eating when and what they choose and belonging to a larger community.

The first issue the University must address is independent students' basic ability to procure food. The University administration has stepped in to bring Labyrinth Books to Princeton, not based on real necessity, but because Labyrinth is purported to be more capable than our present bookstore at providing "scholarly" books. Food, on the other hand, is a necessity. The University should ensure that the vacuum that will be left when Wild Oats closes this summer is filled by a food market within walking distance. The Wawa and the U-Store already occupy, and Labyrinth will soon occupy, University-owned buildings. A supermarket that can serve the needs of independent students should be added to that list. If such a store in University-owned space is not feasible, the University should at the very least provide regular transportation to stores in the area, such as McCaffrey's in the Princeton Shopping Center and supermarkets such as ShopRite and Wegman's on U.S. Route 1. In addition, the University should look into more creative solutions for independent students, including allowing them to piggyback on Dining Services bulk purchasing.

The lack of adequate private kitchens outside of Spelman Hall geographically isolates independent students. To resolve this problem, the University should improve kitchen facilities and, while renovating older buildings and building new ones, expand the number of kitchens — especially private kitchens, so that independent students who need to cook can live comfortably all over campus with sufficient space to host their independent and nonindependent friends for meals. Students at many other universities live in apartment-style housing with private kitchens, and there is reason to think that many Princeton students would like to live in such an arrangement if there were a greater stock of it. The University's decision to give all upperclassmen two meals per week in the dining halls next year is commendable. This initiative will allow independent students to strike a balance between freedom and flexibility and the ability to associate with a larger community. The availability of more private kitchens will also make unnecessary the rules limiting the number of nonindependent students with whom independent students can live and still have use of a personal kitchen.