Eating a meal under harsh fluorescent lights with a multitude of loud conversations around them is not something students think about when they pay for their meal plans at Syracuse University.

Frantically looking for an open space wears students down, especially when they’re hungry and tired. As you roam further into the depths of the cafeteria, you can feel hundreds of eyes on you. If you’re lucky enough to find a seat, it will likely be at a long table with other students that you do not know. After sitting, the anxiety might dissipate a little, but that’s not the case for everyone.

As this year’s freshmen class is introduced to college life, returning students hold their heads high around campus, knowing what to expect. But one thing that many people experience is dining hall anxiety. The plethora of students gathering inside dining halls, especially Ernie Davis, is enough to make anyone feel a little intimidated.

I try my best to go to the dining hall with others whenever I can because sitting alone can be daunting. But my class schedule doesn’t always allow me to dine with others, which makes me self-conscious in a social setting. This is a problem for other students as well.

“My friends and I had different schedules and we could never eat together, but the dining hall was always crowded. I felt uncomfortable going alone. This leads to an unhealthy relationship between my eating habits and the dining hall,” said Anna Mulhernn, a junior at SU.

Since SU’s application rate was at an all time high, with over 41,000 applications, the university accepted significantly more students than in the past. The other day when I arrived at Ernie Davis with my roommate to grab a mid-afternoon meal, my jaw dropped. I’d never seen the dining hall so crowded that the line to swipe in started from the street. I was nervous before I even entered the building.

A sea of students flowed from Ernie Davis’ front desk all the way out the door. We had no choice but to wait. Over ten minutes passed before we even got inside, and once we got our food it was nearly impossible to find a seat.

We went from heavy health restrictions to nothing at all on campus. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, students are still easing into normalcy and getting used to large, fast-paced crowds. Last year, SU still had COVID -19 restrictions in place, which meant masks were required in the dining hall. However, because of these restrictions, many students took their meals back to their dorms. Since SU has lifted these restrictions, more students are choosing to dine in for meals, which can make it feel more crowded in the dining halls .

SU’s administration should think of expanding dining hall spaces and staff to accommodate large crowds so students can eat at dining halls without feeling overwhelmed. The university should heed students’ advice in making the dining hall a place everyone feels comfortable and has the time to dine in.

Sophia Leone is a sophomore broadcast, digital journalism major with a minor in political science. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at [email protected].

Published on September 6, 2022 at 9:39 pm