Here’s the first thing you need to know about me: I love Commons.
If you’re a first-year, I can understand if you’re not feeling it yet. Commons takes some getting used to, digestively speaking (I say this with love, remember). Also, I definitely remember the paralyzing fear of solo Coms. (It’s 12:05 and I have a 12:30 and my friends aren’t texting me back but I really need to eat but I don’t wanna go alone so should I just wait till 2 to go to Union…) I think this is a universal emotion.
But the dessert bar is heaven, and custom mac-and-cheese is my heart and soul, and literally everyone who works there is amazing (Edwin is a god among men). So, disclaimer: I love Commons, and I love Union too.
But.
Starting with the class of 2018, our administration is requiring everyone to purchase at least a 90-block meal plan. This means that when our current first-years are seniors, with their own apartments, gearing up to lead their real adult lives—they’ll still be shelling out $1000 to trudge up to Commons five times a week.
There are a lot of reasons why I—and much of our student body—disagree with this decision. It doesn’t seem like SGA was consulted before the decision was made, for one. For another, upperclassmen should be encouraged to learn how to cook their own meals.
Most significantly, though, the big fear is that the policy will cause a new socioeconomic divide on campus—that is, whether or not people will financially be able to join Patterson Court organizations. Inevitably, many first-years are going to join PCC come springtime. And inevitably, this year, some girls who might have woken up to a “TurNER, TURner!” on Self Selection morning won’t, because paying for a second meal plan just isn’t feasible.
Personally, I would not be part of PCC if this policy applied to me. I love my Eating House, and I know it would have no-holds-barred sucked to have missed out for financial reasons. And honestly, even though only the Class of 2018 is directly affected, Patterson Court has to go through a permanent shift. PCC is gonna operate way differently in two years than it does now. All we can do is try to make that difference positive.
At the recent SGA meeting, there was a lot of talk about the “implementation” of the policy. I know that the Davidson administration, PCC, SGA, and our awesome students themselves are going to work together to make sure this doesn’t affect anyone too drastically. If this is something you care about, I encourage you to get involved. Talk about it with your friends. Email Kyle Taylor (kytaylor@davidson.edu) who’s running the Auxiliary Services Committee and can field any of your awesome implementation ideas. Or, heck, go ahead and get in contact with President Quillen. I’ve got hope, guys. Keep up the good work. I’ll catch y’all at Commons later.