Dining hours at the cafeteria have been extended for the spring semester. This is a result of the subcommittee for dining services, under the student senate, communicating student’s opinions to Sodexo.
“We explained the student body’s opinions just as we had received them and Mary and Cindy replied as follows, ‘Yes, we have actually been considering extending the hours for a while now. With your help we have a better idea of when to extend them to,’” said Tyler Merrihew, chair of the subcommittee, via email.
Merrihew roughly estimates that in the 50-60 anonymous polls they were given, roughly 11 of them pertained to the need for extended hours.
According to Cindy Chappell, assistant vice president for Financial and Auxiliary Services, the new dining hours are on a trial basis for the spring semester. Feedback at the end of the semester will determine whether the dining hours will continue in the future. However, the extension will come with added costs
“Sodexo and PLNU have agreed to extend the hours of operation in the dining room for the spring semester,” said Chappell in an email sent out to the campus on Jan.13. “Although there will be increased costs for these changes, PLNU has agreed to absorb those costs for the spring.”
If the new dining hours extend into future semesters, the additional costs will not be covered by PLNU, but will be added to student’s room and board prices. In an email, Chappell says that she “expect[s] room and board prices to increase 2.5%-3% next year,” though it is unclear in the email if these increases will only happen with the integration of the extended dining hours, or if they will increase regardless.
The dining room will now stay open until 8 p.m. It will also open earlier on Saturdays, and Sundays at 10 a.m.
Jen Pfeiler 
The Point Staff 
Rebecca Elliott