Every year, the Hub goes through a couple weeks of stunted hours while they hire their new work study students and adjust to a new school year. That’s normal, and that’s to be expected.
What was not expected was to reach the end of the fifth week of school and still be finding the Hub doors locked and the lights off when I show up for a late lunch.
Isn’t the purpose of the Hub to have a campus dining location that is open throughout the entire day, so no matter what our class, practice or rehearsal schedule looks like, we can still eat lunch and dinner?
What about people who have class from straight through the day until after 2 p.m., or those who have an evening full of music rehearsals until 7 p.m.? What are they to do for their meals?
I have friends who have had to run to Subway or Taco John’s for lunch many times because couldn’t get lunch on campus after their classes got done.
Aside from taking more time, this is also frustrating because we’ve paid (an exorbitant amount, might I add) for a meal plan as part of our room and board costs, and now we can’t even use all the meals we’re paying for. And really, how are we to spend all the flex money we’ve already paid for by the end of the semester if we don’t have the opportunity to splurge on cheeseballs and smoothies?
Accessible meal times aside, another frustration of the minimal Hub hours is that the prime late-night study break is no longer an option. Five weeks into the semester, we still haven’t had the chance to meet up with friends after a long night of homework, meetings, rehearsals and other activities, to grab some greasy burgers and cheeseballs.
My friends and I call this late-night meal Pizza Time, and we have sorely missed it this year. And what about the ever-popular post Praise and Worship Hub run? You’d think having P&W in the RSC would make those Hub runs even easier, but we still have yet to satisfy our post-worship cravings.
I’ve wondered if they’ve focused so much on staffing the Cafeteria, since that’s where most people eat and that’s where the longest lines are, that they’ve forgotten about the Hub. The reason most people eat at the Caf and the reason the lines are so long is because the Hub is not the accessible, convenient option it normally is.
New freshmen and transfers don’t yet know the magnificent convenience of the Hub as all they’ve experienced are strange, disappointing hours that mean they may or may not eat lunch that day.
At the very least, I wish there was someone who could run an Instagram page again to publicize the Hub’s odd hours, like last year’s “Is the Hub Open” page. That way, we wouldn’t have to trek all the way to the Student Center, hoping that the Hub is open so we can eat a late lunch after the Caf is closed, only to get there and realize it’s closed in the middle of the day again.
Creative Dining and our wonderful dining staff have done a great job at adjusting their serving lines, expanding their cleaning procedures and wearing their masks. I really appreciate everything they’re doing to keep us safe and help us stay on campus, and I know I’m not alone.
Though we are grateful for our wonderful dining staff and I’m sure they’re doing their best, I just want to eat a burger at 10 p.m. on a Sunday night again.
When will the Hub be open?
