By Sophia Albertie
With the end of the spring semester fastly approaching, there’s one lingering truth that needs to be addressed: Students still aren’t crazy about The Nest, myself included.
Earlier last semester, the college seemed to bombard faculty, staff and students with promo about the shiny new dining area replacing the Sundowner. This area would also be replacing Clinton Dining Hall in the late night food category, Clinton now closes at 8 p.m., permitting students to flock to The Nest for a dose of midnight sustenance.
Now, in less than a month, it will officially be one full term with The Nest on campus. The verdicts are in: Could be better, could be worse.
One thing is for certain — there aren’t enough options, especially after 8 p.m. So students have no luck trying to get something other than a burger or pizza if they have any after-class activities or extracurriculars.
Ari Froedden, a freshman with a gluten allergy, has mixed opinions.
“The food comes out very quickly most of the time, and there’s a nice take out system. You can sit in there without having to get food, unlike with the Clinton Dining Hall, but there’s not enough gluten free options or labeling. There’s definitely fewer options in general than Clinton, especially when it comes to late night,” Froedden said.
The supposed convenient placement of The Nest is also not so convenient for everyone, especially those who live in a far off dorm hall like Wilson or Moffit. For students like Hope Parker, it’s an adjustment.
“I think The Nest is good at making food fast, the employees also give good service. It is convenient for many people who have classes nearby, but I’ll always prefer Clinton. It was right next to me, and there was much more diversity in food options,” Parker said.
The student body has taken their complaints to apps like Yik Yak or Fizz, platforms that give them space to express pressing — albeit juvenile — problems on campus anonymously.
It’s impossible to avoid critique completely as a dining place on a college campus, but it seems like paying more attention to the places that are currently up and running would help. As opposed to funding new resources with fewer moving parts.
