Cafeteria hours a win-lose situation

By Andre Lodder

BELLEVILLE, Ont. (16/1/12) - Students embrace the changes made to the cafeteria on Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. The new hours mean that the cafeteria will be open until 6:30 p.m. as opposed to its previous closing time of 3 p.m. The changes also mean that Subway will only be open until 3 p.m. after previously being open until 8 p.m. Photo by Andre Lodder.

“To increase the length or duration of; lengthen; prolong.”

According to dictionary.com, that’s the definition of “extend.”

The Loyalist College cafeteria has extended its hours for the winter semester. The new hours mean that the main cafeteria will be open later, but there will be no food available after 6:30 p.m.

The previous hours saw the main cafeteria close at 3 p.m., making Subway the only dinner option for the school.

The new hours mean that the main cafeteria, which consists of Pizza Pizza, Miso and the Burger Studio, will now be open until 6:30 p.m. giving students a larger dinner selection.

The main cafeteria wasn’t the only establishment affected. Subway, which was previously open until 8 p.m., is now closed at 3 p.m. The change means that the hours of food accessibility have actually been reduced rather then extended.

While the change is welcome to some students, others have cause for concern.

“I would rather have Subway open. I think it’s a healthier choice. Either way someone is going to be upset,” said Sheawna Lorch, a Pre-Health Sciences student at Loyalist.

The changes also mean that the “Res Express,” a program that helped deliver food to students on residence, no longer exists.

The changes mean that any student at the college past 6:30 p.m. no longer has an on-campus food option available to them.

The Loyalist Student Government has put together a committee to help raise any concerns that might arise. The committee’s existence is already giving students hope, while putting their minds and their stomachs at ease.

“The student government is usually pretty good about stuff like that,” said Lorch.

Loyalist’s food services manager, Pierre Overvelde was unavailable for comment.