The à la mode not taken

Last year, Dining Services announced that come September, our dining halls would undergo some exciting changes. The changes, we learned, would be for our own good. There would be more options. We, who love options, rejoiced (despite the fact that those of us not on a meal plan could no longer get sushi or shrimp cups from Ferris Booth). Ferris Booth would become a John Jay-type dining hall, while JJ’s Place would, in sharp contrast, become a John Jay-type dining hall. In light of the changes to the hours of operation and logistical realities of dining this semester, we have come to a realization: “More options” actually means no options at all.

Because of John Jay’s late opening time, students who wish to eat breakfast must go to Ferris Booth. This means there’s a massive crowd outside Ferris Booth at breakfast time (and all other times, but we’ll get to that), preventing those with early classes from eating what we have been raised to believe is the most important meal of the day. Even worse are weekends. John Jay is now closed on Fridays and Saturdays, which means that students have the option of Ferris Booth, Ferris Booth, or, for a change in scenery, Ferris Booth. Worse still, Ferris Booth stops making omelets at 10, while John Jay’s Wilma (of the famed “Wilma’s Grill”) does not begin taking orders until 11, which leaves an entire 60 minutes during which there are exactly zero omelet options.

It’s also worth noting that although Ferris Booth is dining-hall style, it is not actually a dining hall. It is still a small room in a labyrinthine building, with limited waiting room, limited space, and limited seating. And it is in that space that all of the class of 2014 (and however many members of other classes are actually on a meal plan) must eat.
Lines clog up the ramps, people have to carry food up and down the stairs, and the pasta line is just ridiculous (as is the now sub-par drink selection, but that is neither here nor there).

Students are still required to swipe only once per meal. They are still required to spend the rough equivalent of over $10 on a mediocre meal. We get that Dining is a bit of a logistical nightmare and that no plan will leave every student entirely satisfied. But we also know that students have very strong opinions on what and where to eat, and one of those opinions is this: We want options that are, in fact, options.