Commuter lounge could be condensed for larger eating area
If you’ve tried to eat in the SUB at noon on a weekday, you’ve probably noticed the other 150-odd students trying to do the same thing. So many people in such a small space is creating a situation that has many students angry and frustrated.
“It’s a fire hazard, and even when you are able to find a seat, the tables are nasty,” said Regina Barber, a health studies major from Winnsboro.
Students aren’t the only ones with complaints of overcrowding. Barbara Roberson, SUB Supervisor, said some students will “just grab what they want and take it,” choosing to steal rather than deal with the headaches of the long lines.
But things could be about to change.
Food Services Director Robert Hoag said plans are being made to renovate the SUB so that more space will be available for students. According to Hoag, the wall separating the commuter lounge from the main dining area will be knocked out before the spring semester. That space will accommodate larger crowds. The renovations will allow for 70 to 80 more seats to be added, Hoag said.
However, Hoag said that building plans are still in the early stages and that there are no plans of completely eliminating the commuter lounge. Instead, Hoag said he hopes to use half of the area to accommodate more student seating.
For some students, the added space is a benefit. Whitney Wilcher, a pre-nursing major from West Monroe, said she never eats in the SUB because it is too crowded. She said if more space were available, she might reconsider.
But for students like Ashley Brown and Jarrett Simms who frequently use the commuter lounge, these changes may not be so welcomed. “I come here a lot. It’s a great place to study or just hang out and relax. If you take out the windows, it would just be one room of incessant noise,” said Brown, a biology major from Epps.
Simms, a business major from Delhi, said he’s okay with reducing the size of the commuter lounge as long as there was still some space available for the students who use it.
