For tri-campus students who remained on campus during spring break, access to food was severely limited with the closure of three of the four dining halls across the tri-campus. Access was especially limited at Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College, which had no open dining halls over the week.
While it is understandable that Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross College may rely on Notre Dame for support at times, the barriers students face to finding food over breaks is inexcusable.
The only dining hall open across the three campuses was North Dining Hall, which was open a paltry 5 hours each day: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for brunch and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for dinner, effectively limiting students’ dining hall access to two meals a day and requiring students at Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross to walk 30 minutes each way to eat.
Spring break began on March 7, but the dining halls at Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross closed on the evening of March 6.
Saint Mary’s students are given limited other options for food based on worker availability, including 1844 Grill, Starbucks and the campus’ convenience store, along with two days during spring break for in-person food pantry hours.
Holy Cross students face even greater difficulties. Their only cafe on campus is closed along with their main dining hall, leaving them with no options other than heading to Notre Dame. Students are required to fill out a form to indicate the number of days they will be staying, in which they are offered two meal tickets a day for each.
Most Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross students must head to Notre Dame for food, but not before facing another challenge: transportation. The Sweep 17 bus that runs throughout the tri-campus community does not run during fall or spring break, leaving students to walk nearly two hours each day just to get to and from their two meals.
Students from these institutions shouldn’t be obligated to walk more than a mile to find food, especially given that most students live in dormitory rooms, not apartments with equipped kitchens.
This is also an accessibility issue. If you are a student with a physical disability, trekking one mile to Notre Dame is not feasible. Saint Mary’s Campus Safety department says the furthest they can drop off students is the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, which still leaves half a mile.
The closure of dining halls also disproportionately affects low-income students, who are more likely to stay on campus over breaks. They are left with either purchasing groceries out of pocket for the week-long duration if they have a car or ordering out each day for meals, which adds on extra cost to delivery.
Students at Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross deserve better from campus dining. Campaigning and awareness on this issue is not new, but no meaningful action has been taken.
Even if classes are not in session, our tri-campus offers a home for all of their students; campus dining should follow by opening the dining halls at Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross College, even if for just an hour or two each meal period and with more limited menus. In doing so, Holy Cross and Saint Mary’s administrations can provide greater support and accessibility for their students.
