Dining Restricted for Seniors

If the seniors survive for two more days, they will receive their diplomas tommorow. But some may be ready to eat them.

While the dining halls offered three meals a day to seniors last year, the Class of '88 crammed Adams House dining hall for breakfast and lunch last week and fended for themselves at dinnertime. This week they are entirely on their own for meals.

Last year, the seniors were served breakfast, lunch and dinner for the first time in recent memory. But the University found seniors did not take advantage of the provender, so dinner was left out this time around.

"It's totally a pain," Deborah A. Patz '88 said. "Since we have to be around here, they might as well give us food. Dinner would be better than lunch."

"Historically--it's safe to say forever, with the exception of last year--provisions were never made for senior week," Director of Dining Services Frederick J. Weissbecker said. "Last year we spent a lot of time planning food for seniors during senior week. It turned out to be a disaster. There was hardly any participation by the seniors."

"It's wrong," said Fernando R. Laguarda '88. "We deserve to be fed after four years of loyalty and good behavior. They're under the impression that the seniors won't take advantage of it."

Class Marshals Fiona V. Anderson '88 and Jane Mendez '88 met with Weissbecker and Assistant Director for Administration Dale M. Hennessey last April to discuss the new policy.

"They informed us of what they were going to do," Mendez said. "Unfortunately, there was no space for changes. If we could have had a dining hall in the Quad also, it would have been much better."

Adams House's dining hall, the College's smallest, was chosen because only 100 seniors a day ate breakfast on Harvard last year, while 150 went to the dining halls for lunch, said Weissbecker.

But any day last week, Adams House presented a scene from the Great Depression, with the food lines reaching outside of the door. Some students waited 45 minutes to receive lunch.

"Adams House was the central location," Hennessey said. "It could best serve the numbers."

While some seniors complain that the policy was not publicized, Anderson said it was announced through flyers in the houses and in the senior week information booklet.

"It's very unfair," Suzette M. Malveaux '88 said. "They should serve us breakfast, lunch and dinner until Tuesday or Wednesday when our parents arrive. If nothing else, it should extend into the weekend. It's not a nice way to treat future alumni."

One senior who asked to remain anonymous said she and several of her friends had smuggled extra food out of breakfast and lunch to feed themselves for the rest of the day.

The location also causes headaches for Quadlings. "There's no reason for not feeding us. It's not much of a loss. They should have opened one down here and one at the River. Quad people are not very excited about walking down to the River," Ricky Rice '88 said.

Some seniors also complained that they had hoped to talk with more of their classmates before graduation. "It would be a wonderful thing if there was a general place where the seniors could expect to see fellow seniors," said Vaughn J. Buffalo '88.

"We could exchange addresses and phone numbers. It could be a final mixing. We will all get together at Commencement, but that's a little to late. It's not really a hassle, because you can always go to Elsie's and get some food."

One senior remarked, "It's like, `you paid your money--now get out.'"