An altercation in the Wildcat Den last week has prompted action from Campus Dining Services after a student was reportedly asked to leave the campus dining hall for staying there for more than 45 minutes.
Senior theater major Michael Skrobeck said while he was studying in the Café Libre public space near the Wildcat Den on Wednesday, Nov. 28, he was told by a Dining Services supervisor and cashier that he only had 45 minutes to eat and that he had to leave.
The event resulted in a short meeting with Dining Services prior to its scheduled meeting on Wednesday night, in which Skrobeck voiced his concern over student awareness of the “45-minute” rule.
“(Students) need a place to allow (them) to be relaxed and focused other than (a) dorm room, and be able to eat at the same time,” Skrobeck said. “It takes a heck of a lot more time to eat and study and hang out with friends (than 45 minutes), and you want to be able to catch up on all three things.”
According to the Frequently Asked Questions section on the Dining Services website, “In the Wildcat Den your card is swiped and you have 45 minutes to have all you care to eat. If you leave the dining location, you must swipe your card again to eat.”
Skrobeck said this is not enough to inform students of the rule, and proposed that either Dining Services eliminate the rule or find other ways to get the word out to students.
“Nobody is going to go on their website and look up the rules,” he said. “So you might as well just get rid of it or if they want to keep the rule, make a poster or a table tent at the Den, being that the Den is the only place that enforces the rule.”
In terms of enforcing the rule, Dining Services said that they have taken into consideration the social aspect of eating in dining halls, the lack of student awareness surrounding it and the potential discomfort of student cashiers having to reprimand other students.
According to Director of Auxiliary Services Tom Helgren, the enforcement of this policy has been suspended. The policy is currently being reviewed and a new policy will be drafted if deemed necessary. The new policy would then be presented to the Food Advisory Board.
