William H. Kelly III
Associate Editor
The Heritage Dining Hall, known to some as Le’ Café, and many other unique and shady names, has been the talk of the semester.
But I feel the University needs to look at accommodations for more than just the cafeteria. Let’s face it, Jackson State is a growing University. Every year we announce record enrollment increases.
Along with these enrollment increases, accommodations for these students must increase as well.
According to Sanford Winfield, SodexoMagic Food Services Manager at JSU, the Heritage Cafeteria has a seating capacity of 425; however there are approximately 3000 students with meal plans.
You do the math. If even half of those students want to eat lunch in the café’ from 12 – 1 p.m., there is no way all these students will be able to eat at the same time.
While I do feel the students request for to-go-boxes in the cafeteria is a valid one, I also feel they should be requesting larger facilities to accommodate a growing student population.
Also, we as students have to be more considerate of our peers. For example, now that you know how many students have to come into the cafeteria to eat and how many spaces are available, try not to spend three long leisurely hours eating and socializing.
The to-go-box option could however help to alleviate some of the overcrowding. Once students enter the café’ and see that there is no room to eat, they can take their food to go.
But we must look at other student services as well. We have all seen what JSU has done to accommodate the influx of students needing housing. But it doesn’t stop there.
More students will get sick. Can the current Health Center accommodate these students? More students will be faced with stress and other psychological issues. Can the Latasha Norman Center accommodate these students? More students will want to take advantage of fitness services. Can the Recreation Complex accommodate these students? And the list goes on.
Moving forward, we must urge the administration to look at the current facilities and plan for the future. It is a great accomplishment that Jackson State is such a premiere institution that more and more students want to come here. But we must be prepared to offer the necessary facilities and accommodations for these students once they get here.
With that being said, the Legacy and Heritage Dining Hall should consider extending their hours even if it is only for certain days out of the week. To help accommodate the large number of students needing to eat.
To my peers, I recommend patience and understanding. JSU is not the only university with growing pains that has to think of ways to accommodate its students. Let’s be a part of the solution, and not the problem.
