If students have one gripe about sophomore summer, a term traditionally idealized as time of relaxation and enjoyment with classmates, it is the lack of dining options.
Dissatisfaction with the dining hours abounds, with students complaining that they must save food for later at night, that the needs of vegetarians are not considered, and that meals off-campus are almost forced.
"I need to think about when I am going to eat because there are not many alternatives in town that are health-conscious," Vic Glazer '06 said. "I have to actually plan when I can eat."
According to David Newlove, associate director of Dartmouth Dining Services, the cut in food service hours is due to the smaller number of students on campus. Many students are unaware, however, that in response to student criticism DDS is open for more hours this summer than any previous summer.
Food Court hours have been expanded -- the campus' primary dining facility closes at 10 p.m. instead of at 9 p.m., as it had in previous summers. Novak Caf is open until 11 p.m. and hopes to employ enough students to open on Sundays.
Newlove said that students should understand that with only a quarter of the undergraduate population on-campus in the summer, it is impractical to have every dining hall open with the hours offered during the Fall, Winter and Spring terms.
Glazer agreed that the reduction of dining hall hours makes sense, considering there are significantly fewer campus customers during the summer months.However, she said the system could be improved by diversifying the food selection that is offered at each of the dining halls that are open.
"There are many resources that are cut because there are less people on campus, which is understandable," Justine Cormier '06 said. "But perhaps there should be different places open at different times or a survey could be taken of student preferences."
Maxwell Young '06 said that during the traditional academic year, Dartmouth is conscious of making dining halls available to students at all times of the day, but during the Summer term there are several hours each day when all dining halls are closed.
Newlove maintained that there are plenty of options.
He said that people tend to forget that there is the Lone Pine Tavern, the Blend, Camp Dartmouth and restaurants in town that are open as late as 2 a.m. EBAs delivers until 2:10 a.m.
However, many students such as Glazer and Young decided to decrease the amount of money allocated to their dining plans during the summer.
Living off campus, students said, provides them with an opportunity to cook at their designated houses, and thus their dining-hall attendance is unnecessary.
Pamela Wendel '06 also found that it would be more convenient to lower her dining plan, choosing instead to utilize the difference for off-campus food.
"I had the normal $900 plan, but since Food Court closes early and many things are not open on the weekends, I changed to the $725 plan," she said. "This way I can feel free to eat off-campus."
Even on-campus students, without easy access to kitchens for self-made meals, lower their meal plans due to the inconvenient hours.
According to Newlove, however, these students also tend to spend more money than they have anticipated.
"On average, about 64 percent of students maintain the standard or higher meal plan while 68 percent of students do so during the year," Newlove said. "But it is an interesting oxymoron because although more students lower their D-plan in the summer due to dissatisfaction, they actually end up spending more money."
One common complaint is the lack of food options on the weekend.
As the Courtyard Caf in the Hopkins Center is closed during summer weekends, some students complain that finding a weekend breakfast meal is often difficult.
In general, breakfast is the least attended meal on the weekends, which is why there have been cuts, Newlove said.
However, Camp Dartmouth is still open on an all-you-can-eat policy.
Despite its consistent availability for both college students and athletic camps, though, the popular Camp Dartmouth's pricy entrance cost has diminished student incentive to eat there.
"I might utilize it if I were really hungry," said Vic Glazer '06. "It would be the only way I could get a bang for my buck."
