A Scrumptious Proposal

For years, hungry Harvard students have bemoaned the paltry and ill-suited dining hall dinner hours. Even though changes to the antiquated schedule—a schedule that fails to accommodate the increasingly late-night Harvard student—have seemed as unlikely as cable in dorm rooms or an exciting social scene, Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) recently unveiled several feasible alternatives to lengthen dinner serving hours. We applaud HUDS’ efforts and encourage the College to consider implementing a more reasonable dining hall schedule next year.

The three proposals range in estimated costs from $900,000 to $1,300,000, and each differs in how and when dinner would be offered. Two plans focus on “neighborhood” schemes, in which Annenberg and one dining hall in each of four upperclass neighborhoods—one in the Quad and three on the River—will have extended dinner hours. The third plan extends dinner one hour in Annenberg and all House dining halls.

Although the latter plan is the most expensive, the extra cost is a necessary evil in order to finally institute a reform that students have both clamored for and needed for many years. The proposals were formed after months of talks between HUDS officials and members of a Committee on House Life subcommittee, which was established in response to an Undergraduate Council (UC) survey last year. This survey found that 87 percent of students would eat dinner past the current 7:15 p.m. shutdown, and 72 percent would utilize an extended time frame at least five days a week.

These revealing numbers begged for action, and that is what HUDS has admirably provided. Harvard’s required, 21-meal-a-week plan is purposely designed to provide students with unlimited access to dining services, yet the UC survey also reported that almost 90 percent of students miss dinner at least once a week because of timing. Students’ strenuous class and extracurricular schedules should not inhibit them from receiving the full benefits of their $4,430-a-year meal plan.

Consequently, students are often forced to spend their own limited funds on food in the Square, either because they are unable to eat before 7:15 p.m. or because they (the 97 percent of the student body that is normally awake past midnight) need additional calories to supplement their dusk dinners as the next day begins.

The average student currently eats 13.6 meals per week in Harvard dining halls, which HUDS expects will rise to 14.1 meals per week if dinner is lengthened. Although a price increase to the meal plan will be needed because of the new schedule, the benefits of eating additional meals in the dining halls will outweigh most of those costs.

Furthermore, students’ additional dinners in dining halls will help address the issue of dwindling House community. Dining halls remain the most logical and practical apparatus in cultivating these important communities, thus an increase in the amount of time students spend in the dining hall will undoubtedly facilitate achieving that goal. If HUDS decides to open only “neighborhood” dining halls until 8:30 p.m., however, House communities will be further split—both in location and in inter-House jealousy.

Instead, HUDS should institute longer dinners in all dining halls, which will fairly and effectively address a decades-old problem. Maybe, finally, with the introduction of this new schedule in September, we will have one less thing to complain about.