The Lobby Shop is a staple on our campus at Holy Cross: whether you need a quick afternoon snack on a busy weekday, an energy drink during a long stretch of studying, or emergency cough medicine, the Lobby Shop is there for you. Conveniently placed in the center of Hogan and open pretty much all day and into the late night, the Lobby Shop is dependable and convenient.Â
Yet, if you are in any grade other than a freshman, you may have noticed some changes to the Lobby Shop when we returned to campus this past August. It was empty, dull, and missing so many of the classic Lobby Shop staple items it used to have. But there were signs telling students to be kind and patient because renovations were coming soon, so my friends and I bit our tongues and waited.Â
We waited, and waited, and waited, and still, all they’ve added is a lame table in the center of the room that barely holds anything. The old Lobby Shop used to be a place for students to unite, to come together within the aisles of unhealthy snacks, which is only socially acceptable to eat at our ages. It used to be easy to spend my dining dollars there; in fact, I would look forward to 10 PM Tuesday night Lobby Shop runs with my roommates. Now, I buy bottles and bottles of water just so they don’t go to waste.Â
One time in my junior year, my roommates and I took two trips from Carlin to the Lobby Shop in under two hours–we loved the walk there on a warm night, the good energy packed into such a small room, the endless snack options at our fingertips, and the people we would encounter throughout the journey. So now, I ask the administration in charge of the Lobby Shop: is adding a table in the center of the room with bad food options the alleged “renovations” the student body was supposed to be looking forward to? Why did you make this detrimental change, and will you actually make a change for the better eventually?Â
The old Lobby Shop’s absence is something that has seriously had a negative impact on my senior year of college, and I just hope nobody else has to endure this disgrace of a Lobby Shop for another year.Â