I am NOT sure about you, but I ate well over the Thanksgiving holiday. Returning to home-cooked meals is always a treat after spending most of the semester thriving on Lean Cuisine and pizza. It occurred to me over vacation, however, that many University students don't have the luxury of returning home or even leaving the University over breaks.
Whether they be international students who simply do not have the travel time or others who cannot make the trip easily, staying at the University is actually tougher on them than many of us may think. The University administration must better take into account students' financial situations and logistical concerns when developing these schedules.
A quick look at the University dining schedule for Thanksgiving Break 2004 reveals that all of the dining halls were closed between the Tuesday evening preceding Thanksgiving and the following Saturday. Retail locations, such as the Castle and the Pav, were also only open for limited hours. No University dining establishment was open on Thanksgiving day, and only one was open the following two days between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. A note at the bottom of the schedule offers hope: "Use your Plus Dollars at Domino's Pizza over Thanksgiving Break." However, it also notes that Domino's is closed on Thanksgiving Day.
Limited dining hours over breaks cause obvious problems for students that remain at the University. While students are permitted to remain in their residence halls over the Thanksgiving holiday, the administration makes it difficult to do so.
A primary reason that many students cannot travel home over such short breaks is personal financial difficulty. But staying here without meal options isn't necessarily a more affordable solution. Sure, these students could easily walk to the Corner. Littlejohn's is open 24 hours, after all. But imagine eating three meals a day in restaurants, spending approximately $6 per meal. Over a period of four days, you've already spent $72 dollars. And by that time, you're at least halfway to purchasing an Amtrak ticket or buying enough gas to take you home and back by car. This might be a break for students who have to travel further, but many still may not be able to afford it.
I guess there is always Harris Teeter, though. The problem, however, is getting there. The University Transit Service's schedule is not conducive to staying at the University over breaks: Only holiday service was offered on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and service did not resume until Sunday night at 6 p.m. Charlottesville Transit Service, which runs through Grounds, was also closed Thanksgiving Day. And for obvious reasons, international students tend not to have access to vehicles, let alone driver's licenses.
There is a lesson that can be learned from all of this -- make sure you prepare appropriately. Stock up on groceries beforehand, while the buses are still running. That is not a sufficient answer to the problem, however. While some students live in dormitories with access to kitchens and refrigerators, there are also quite a lot who don't -- first-year dorms, for example, are unequipped with kitchen facilities.
In previous years, when Prof. Kenneth Elzinga lived in Pavilion IV, he and his wife invited students remaining at the University over the holiday break into his home for Thanksgiving dinner. Many other University professors have also extended invitations to these students throughout the years.
Despite these efforts on behalf of University faculty, the problem is not solved. The University is lacking in its accommodation of international and domestic students who cannot travel over the Thanksgiving holiday. However, the demand for the types of services that would benefit them, such as extended dining hours and holiday transportation, is too low. U.Va. Dining Director of Operations Eddie Whedbee commented that staffing limitations over the holiday complicate the situation, though dining services is willing to adjust schedules appropriately in the future if there is enough interest. U.Va. Dining has been very receptive to student concerns in the past, crediting Muslim students with Plus Dollars for meals skipped during Ramadan, for example.
Though the University administration should make efforts to better accommodate these students, it is doubtful that much will change without a significant push from students themselves. This is an initiative that Student Council or the Parents' Program should consider backing.
Todd Rosenbaum's column appears Thursdays in the Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at trosenbaum@cavalierdaily.com.
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