At the start of the spring semester, KSC Dining reduced hours for both The Sizzler and We Proudly Serve Starbucks locations.
The Sizzler is now open Tuesday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Starbucks is now open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Both locations are closed on the weekends and are unavailable during the evenings.
Students expressed disagreement with the decision to cut the hours of operation at either location. Arkayde Smith, a sophomore, said, “I also don’t always have time to even stop when they are open. I think it more affects my options to be able to go.” Smith went on to say that a shorter window of operational hours does not allow for students with certain schedules to be able to dine at either of these locations. With Sizzlers only being open for a short window of time during the week, she noted that students are finding it a less accessible dining option on campus.
As stated on the Keene State “Dine On Campus” website, the Zorn Dining Commons is open for the longest window of time throughout the week and is open all seven days. However, students are not finding it to be the most optimal dining option. Rae Gordon, another sophomore, said, “I keep my room stocked with food, because I know if the DC doesn’t look good, I’m not going out of my room.” When asked if she would choose the Dining Commons over food she prepares herself, Gordon said, “I think they should just give us more Lloyd’s hours.”
Jen Ferrell, the associate vice president of student affairs at Keene State, said that these changes were due to both “data and necessity.” “We identified an opportunity to address budgetary challenges by reducing hours in select spaces, minimizing the impact on students as much as possible,” Ferrell said. Data had shown that students were primarily visiting The Sizzler during the middle of the week and a small number of students were utilizing Starbucks during the evenings.
These changes were also made to aid with the changes in meal plans this academic year. Students have seen a reduced amount of dining dollars within their chosen meal plan as compared to recent years. “By reducing some hours at those locations, it frees up resources to be focused in other dining locations, especially the Dining Commons,” Ferrell said. She also noted that reducing hours at certain locations helped to ensure that the hours of the Zorn Dining Commons did not need to be reduced.
According to Ferrell, these hours of operation will remain in place for the remainder of the academic year, but could be altered in coming years due to “student usage, needs, and overall budget provided to manage the dining program.”
Smith serves as an Equinox staff member.
Emma Pearl can be contacted at
epearl@kscequinox.com
