Dining services should be open when students are here; there should not be a four-day gap between the opening of dorms and the opening of dining services. Students on campus depend on their meal plans to provide their meals—go figure, right? The whole reason that the dorms open early in the first place is to give people a window in which to arrange transportation to campus. This is of particular concern to international students and students that live far distances from RPI and have to fly to the Institute.
These circumstances are especially true for holidays and vacations. Having to worry whether or not you’ll be able to eat either before you leave or upon arriving back on campus should not be an issue that a student has to worry about. Eating is a fundamental human need.
One could argue that there is food available in the Union in the Rathskeller Dining Area and in the McNeil Room during the aforementioned times. But, what needs to be taken into account is that there are many students here that work with a limited budget. Times when the meal plans are not in effect place undue hardship on these students.
One potential solution could include allowing students on meal plans to access McNeil Room dining over the holidays as part of their plan. Since the McNeil Room kitchen is usually open and the kitchen is in operation when the dormitories open after the holidays, this shouldn’t be too difficult to arrange.
Providing some meal options to campus residents during and after Institute holidays must be given some serious consideration.
