Hungry First-Year Diners Annoy North Residents

Twenty-nine Garden St. exiles seeking to dine in the North House dining hall have sparked a minor controversy among residents there.

The first-year students, who are technically assigned to the Union for meals, often eat in Quad houses due to their proximity.

But the added traffic in the North House dining hall has prompted residents to protest. Some went so far this week as to construct a barricade of chairs to prevent first-years from entering the dining hall from the outside.

The upper-class students have complained that first-years flood their dining hall, increasing lines and causing food shortages.

"I've heard students talking about it, [saying] `What's the hold up? What's the line for?'" said one dining services employee in North House, who asked not to be identified.

"[The addition of the first-years] has caused a lot of lines," said Melissa P. DeBose '93.

Lacking keys to the upperclass houses, first-year students must wait to be let inside by North residents.

"It gets very annoying sometimes when people keep on banging on the door [to the outside]," said DeBose.

Residents of 29 Garden St. said they were inconvenienced by the attempted blockade of chairs.

"Part had to be removed so we could get by." said Nadeige S. Jenece '96.

The 29 Garden St. students said they take their meals in the Quad about three to seven times per week to avoid the walk to the Union.

"[Students from North House] always want to know why the lines are so long," said Tiffany A. Wallace '96. "It's not our fault. It's just more convenient."

But not all North residents said the extra first-years are a pest in the dininghall.

"It's a way to get to know the freshmen," saidNorth resident Robert Riviello '95, who called thechair blockade "kind of cruel."

And some upper-class students said thatbarricading the doors was actually an effort toreduce drafts.

"We don't want people blasting us with thecold," DeBose said.

First-years said they realize that not allupperclass students are unsympathetic to theirsituation.

"Most of them are more sympathetic about ushaving to live here than critical of us eatingthere," said Charles R. Kapelke '96

"It's a way to get to know the freshmen," saidNorth resident Robert Riviello '95, who called thechair blockade "kind of cruel."

And some upper-class students said thatbarricading the doors was actually an effort toreduce drafts.

"We don't want people blasting us with thecold," DeBose said.

First-years said they realize that not allupperclass students are unsympathetic to theirsituation.

"Most of them are more sympathetic about ushaving to live here than critical of us eatingthere," said Charles R. Kapelke '96