Residents of South Village are preparing for the wintery weeks ahead, when they must cope with the continued absence of a nearby dining facility: Red Jacket Dining Hall is still out of commission until its scheduled re-opening next semester.
Though some students are prepared to make the chilly trek to the College Union or Mary Jemison Dining Hall, others are considering alternate options such as not returning to their rooms until late in the evening or hoarding nonperishable food items such as cereal, granola bars or microwaveable meals.
Freshman Eric Gebhardt, a resident of Onondaga Hall, said he plans to make use of the vending machines in the south village buildings. "Anything to fill me up," he said.
Nassau Hall resident sophomore Erica LeMon said that Campus Auxiliary Services should have done a better job of compensating for the temporary closure of Red Jacket by "maybe cutting our food prices, or providing more options so we can make food in our rooms." She said she is "not looking forward to this winter" and plans on "ordering a lot of pizza, or procuring food in other ways."
"I'm dreading this winter," said sophomore Hannah Wagner, a Nassau Hall resident. "There should be a reduction in the cost of meal plans or maybe on room and board since we're at such a disadvantage."
Some residents were optimistic and even cheerful about braving the cold temperatures. "I got my North Face [jacket]," said freshman Julie Bernatzky.
"We found great gloves for $3 up on Main Street," said freshman Makenzie Delmotte. Bernatzky and Delmotte both live in Onondaga Hall.
"I don't love the cold, but I got used to it," said sophomore Heather Bristol, who lives in Nassau Hall. Bristol added that she prefers to ride the Livingston Area Transportation Services bus when it aligns with her schedule.
CAS has attempted to make it easier for South Village residents to eat by extending hours at several other dining facilities on the North side of campus.