ULM requires residents to buy a meal plan that gives them access to Schulze Dining Hall, which often closes early for holidays. The recent Mardi Gras break was no exception, with Schulze closing at 5 p.m. the Friday before the holiday.

Some students find the timing of these closings to be problematic. Sophomore Computer Science major Ryder Leblanc commented on the closing dates.

“I think they should stay open whenever they would normally operate during the week before a break. They should not close on weekends before breaks,” Leblanc said.

Students who live in dorms have a short list of approved appliances from Reslife. They are limited to crock pots, rice cookers and microwave ovens, making it difficult for residents to cook their own food.

The restriction on cooking methods means that shutting down early forces students to spend more money on eating out or processed foods. Two extra days of closure is not a long time, but two extra days of eating out is costly—especially since many college students do not have that much money to spare.

Meal plan pricings reflect how these restrictions create a heavier reliance on dining services. Residents of the campus apartments have access to a stove and oven, which gives them more options. Students living in the apartments can buy the village meal plan, which costs $1,027. Compared to the cheapest plan available to dorm residents ($1,916), it is clear that these students are meant to rely more heavily on the dining services.

I rarely leave campus during shorter holidays and eat at Schulze twice a day, making the closings hard on my small bank account. While it is important to give workers time off for holidays, closing for the weekend prior takes more money out of students’ pockets when we have already spent money on a meal plan.

Junior Computer Information Systems and Accounting major Aiden Gager shared his thoughts on the costs from early closings.

“Especially since I pay so much toward being able to dine, I shouldn’t be forced to purchase fast food for five days, and dorms don’t come with ovens so I can’t cook either,” Gager said.

Residents are forced to pay upwards of $1,000 for meal plans they cannot even use all of the time, forcing students to find alternative food sources for longer than absolutely necessary is not just a slight inconvenience—it is detrimental to our health and pocketbooks.