The closing of the 1780 Café brought with it many changes, one of which is the absence of a late night dining spot on Sunday evenings. This year’s dining changes resulted in Sunday nights being the only night of the week when late night dining on campus is not an option.
Unfortunately, some students express that Sunday is the most important night of the week to have late night dining because that is when they do the most homework. The late night hours in the cafeteria do not extend to the weekend nights, and although Jazzman’s is open on Friday and Saturday nights from 7:30-11 p.m., it is not open on Sunday nights.
According to junior Laura Daley, “It bothers me that there is no late night dining option on Sundays because I’m always doing homework or going to meetings during Caf dinner, and I don’t want to have to spend my money to get food off campus.”
Juniors Kenzie Hall and Dane Ritter also reiterated this argument, saying that everyone does their homework on Sunday nights as opposed to on Friday or Saturday.
Transylvania’s administration explains the lack of late night dining on Sundays as a reinvestment of hours. Furthermore, Marc Mathews, Vice President of Finance and Business, said that these sorts of changes are not made lightly and are solely based on student suggestions.
Mathews explained that the Sunday night dining options were changed in order to “invest hours in Jazzman’s being open on Friday and Saturday nights.” He said, “This was in response to student requests last year for Jazzman’s to be open some evenings and also due to low volumes of diners in the 1780 Café on Sunday nights.”
On the other hand, junior Jordan Long feels like the change goes against some of Transylvania’s core values.
“It’s upsetting because they encourage students to be leaders on campus, but a lot of meetings are on Sunday nights, and student leaders have to miss Caf dinner for these,” said Long.
Mathews maintained that the administration is “always open to revisiting any changes that are not working out as planned.”
These changes could be revoked sooner than expected because, according to Mathews, “Friday/Saturday nights at Jazzman’s aren’t getting much business.” In response to this lack of business, he said that they “might want to look at giving up these hours and having Sunday late night in Forrer starting in January.”
Although there is no late night dining currently available on Sunday evenings, the administration is open to hearing students’ concerns and will revisit the possibility of having a late night option on Sundays should students voice their concerns.
“It is hard for administrators to get a feel for which requests represent the view of the majority of the student body versus the view of just a few,” explained Mathews. “For this reason, we generally react only to requests from SGA [Student Government Association].”
Now is the time for liberals to organize
Late Tuesday night, Donald Trump won the election to become the 45th president of the United States. In doing so, panic cascaded throughout many voters. They’re afraid of the consequences of the Trump presidency. Will my friends or family be deported? Will hate against racial and religious minorities become more accepted? Will Trump and Republicans repeal legislation that has provided health insurance for millions of Americans? People are scared. I’m scared too.
Walking across campus Wednesday morning, I saw many with their heads hung low. Sometimes in politics, we lose. We become discouraged. We become cynical. Undoubtedly, these are all common feelings for depressed voters. But today I urge you: do not become disillusioned. Hold your head high and remember how much of an impact we made. Be proud that one day, you will be counted with those who stood for what is right. Remember that we will refuse to accept hate. Remind yourself that we have a responsibility to future generations. Take this moment and remember it, and use it as your motivation to make a difference.
The truth is that you only win when you fight. Moving forward, involve yourself. Reach out to your friends, canvass for your candidates, make calls to your local legislators, and most importantly, organize. Arm yourself with information. Hold your candidates responsible for their positions. Politics is not a battle to be fought once every four years – it’s constantly a part of your communities, your social media, and even your friends. Let it be an important part of your life. Don’t be afraid to engage with your colleagues, your friends, or your family. Make sure that your voice is heard in more than just the form of a ballot.
The best way to let conservatives roll back minimum wage increases, universal health care, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, and more progressive issues is to let them feel no resistance. So make them feel your resistance. If you’re disheartened by the results, take action. Find an organization that advocates for your beliefs and promote your ideas, and if you can’t, found one.
Most importantly, comfort and stand with those who are in danger. And there are many people in danger. Hispanic families are frightened they will be ripped apart. LGBTQ+ individuals are afraid of the extremely homophobic history of Trump’s vice presidential candidate, Mike Pence. Islamic families fear a rise in hate crimes. Many women are worried about the acceptance of Trump’s statements toward women. The normalization of the insulting, hate-filled language of Trump, and the behavior of some Trump supporters, is something we must work together to end.
The beauty of the democracy is that we can lose. The demand of democracy is that we never quit. The responsibility of voters is to threaten politicians at the ballot box, and although that opportunity may seem long from now, it is always the right time to mobilize. Stop threatening to move away. Don’t dwell on defeat. Get up, get involved, and fight back.