The rush for students to purchase their lunch before 3:30 p.m. is finally finished.
The Ball State University Dining Services announced earlier this week that the lunch meal period was extended from 3:29 p.m. to 4:29 p.m. this summer and upcoming school year.
After more than two years of students making this suggestion on dining comment cards, the university has finally made this change that will benefit students.
With some Tuesday-Thursday classes ending at 3:15 p.m. it was at times a struggle for some of these students to use their meal plan and get lunch. It was either rushing out after the 2 p.m class ends to purchase lunch within 15 minutes or having lunch before the 2 p.m. class, which could get difficult if students had classes earlier in the day.
Rushing to get food also limits some people's selection because it is easier and quicker to grab a Chick-Fil-A sandwich at the Atrium than wait longer for an item at McKinley Grill. These types of time limitations are things that should not happen to students who may be spending more than $1,000 for their Ball State dining plan.
Yes, it is still challenging for students to spend every cent of their dining meal plan. However, this change will go a long way to preventing students from missing a meal on their meal plan.
It is a good thing the dining services made this change, but it is a change that could have easily been made in previous years.
It is completely illogical to think that college students, notorious for staying up late and pulling all-nighters, would want to eat an early-bird special type dinner at 3:30 p.m. There are even some students that are still sleeping at 3:30 p.m., especially on the weekends.
This time increase gives students a better chance to spend their prepaid meal plan.
Expanding the hours will also create less traffic at eating venues throughout campus. Most people will probably still eat their lunch before 4 p.m., but the amount of students who will be able to leisurely go from a 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. class to get their lunch will be eliminated.
The extra hour may also allow more people to venture towards different eateries throughout campus that are further from their classes. This is especially beneficial with the Tally reopening this Fall Semester and having a Taco Bell and Starbucks.
Giving students this extra hour should help make it a quicker dining experience for everyone on campus. Some students may still be rushing to purchase their lunch before 4:30 p.m., but at least they will have that extra hour to fit buying a meal into their busy schedule.
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