Lengthy lines snarl lunch traffic

In spite of extremely long lines at Ross and Proctor during the first weeks of spring semester, administration officials deny changes to the scheduling of courses could be responsible for the situation.

In response to what some call a particularly bad year for dining hall congestion, students have raised questions concerning course scheduling and a possible increase in class-release-time overlap. Some claim that many classes now finish at the same time, and more students have similar inter-class gaps in which they head to the dining halls for meals. As a result, students descend on Ross and Proctor at the same time, precipitating seating problems and long lines.

Though the theory certainly poses a logical explanation for dining hall overflow, Dean of Curriculum Bob Cluss is quick to debunk it as a myth.

“It doesn’t seem likely that scheduling changes have led to congestion in the dining halls,” he said, after consulting the Registrar’s Office last Wednesday. “[This semester] is not unusual with respect to the number of classes that end at the same time.”

Students continue to negotiate long lines in spite of the reassurance. Devin MacDonald ’13.5  says that the initial weeks of her college dining hall experience have been “very overwhelming,” and that “three or four out of 10 times the dining halls are more crowded than I’m comfortable with.”

The overcrowding has even prompted some students to form unhealthy solutions to the problem.

“One afternoon Proctor was so full I didn’t even eat lunch,” MacDonald admits. “The hallway was clogged and there were so many people that I just turned around and left.”

Though she has missed only one meal due to overcrowding so far, she fears the troubles will continue.

“It’s likely to happen again at some point. I really like Proctor’s food at lunch, but I have so little time that I can’t afford to wait in 10- or 15-minute lines,” MacDonald said. “If it comes down to waiting for food or making it to my next class, I’m going hungry.”

Other students, however, have not noticed any change in the eating habits of students from other semesters.

“They don’t seem any worse than past semesters at peak mealtimes. A lot of people just like to blame the long lines on new Febs every time a batch of them comes in,” said Christian Brady ’12. “Soon everyone will find their grooves and eating times will start to stagger.”

To an old problem mistaken for new with every passing semester, resolve seems possible only on an individual basis. By smoothing out daily schedules to include time for food in off-peak dining hall hours, students might ease their stress and avoid the unpleasant effects of “Ross Rage” that leave so many with grinding teeth and growling stomachs.