Waking up at 11:02 a.m. and realizing you have missed breakfast will soon be a problem of the past.
Beginning Friday, students will be able to swipe their IDs in dining halls twice any time before 5 p.m, essentially combining the breakfast and lunch periods. Currently, students can swipe once during breakfast hours and once during lunch hours. The move comes two weeks after the Yale College Council released the State of Dining Services at Yale, a report enumerating ideas on how to improve dining services for students. While the policy will take effect on Friday, next week’s labor strike will prevent students from taking advantage of the new system.
Director of Dining Services David Davidson said allowing for multiple swipes during breakfast and lunch periods was an issue dining services had been thinking about for almost two years.
“Our business is feeding students, and we want to feed students when they want to eat,” Davidson said.
Davidson said dining services made the decision after discussions with YCC and many students.
“We’ve talked to a lot of students individually,” Davidson said. “Our managers are very in tune to what students want.”
YCC representative Andrew Cedar ’06, who wrote the swiping proposal for the report, said when drafting it, he was careful to note that it would necessitate changes in the dining services budget.
“I knew that it would have to be well thought-out,” Cedar said. “But [budget] was more of a concern that we had in proposing it to them. They wanted to do it almost as much as we did.”
Ultimately, dining services accepted the YCC’s ideal proposal, Cedar said.
Cedar said when considering dining services, this was the change that stuck out in his mind as both useful and feasible.
“[The former system is] something I didn’t think made sense at all,” Cedar said. “I think it presumed an unreasonable schedule for college students.”
YCC representative and chair of the dining hall subcommittee Elliott Mogul ’05 said when YCC surveyed students, this was one of the issues that came up consistently.
Mogul said he was glad the YCC was able to accomplish something that will be a major change for students.
“It’s excellent that the YCC can publish a report like this — and the administration will pay attention to it,” Mogul said.
Some students — especially those on the unlimited or 14-meal plans — said they would not be affected by the change. Erica Larsen ’06, who — like all freshmen — is on the 21-meal plan, said the change will not have much of an impact on her.
“I normally eat breakfast every day because I have a 9:30 [a.m.] class,” Larsen said. “So it probably won’t make a difference in my life.”
YCC representatives said they will continue working with dining services on other proposals to improve student dining.
“We have a very good relationship with them,” YCC President Andrew Allison ’04 said. “They’re very open and enthusiastic about changing policies to better serve students.”
In a 2002 Freshmen Class Council poll, 22 percent of freshmen who responded said they would support merging the breakfast and lunch periods. The only option that got more votes was developing late-night dining options, with 28 percent.
Mogul said the YCC will push for extending late-night dining options on a trial basis next semester.
Other issues on the YCC’s agenda include increasing vegetarian options, extending transfer hours at professional schools, reducing pricing at Durfee’s, improving nutrition labeling and increasing variety.