New Paltz students were glad to get back on campus and continue their collegiate adventures until they discovered devastating news once they came back. The news had to deal with the passing of an old friend. A friend near and dear to every New Paltz student’s heart. Beloved restaurant Oscar's had passed away. It was a tough blow and it is certain that this is something students will need time to heal in order to get over. "Moving on is a simple thing, but what it leaves behind is hard," according to famed metal singer Dave Mustaine.
So you could guess that with the opening of a new café (Element 93) that on-campus eating would prove to be the same, if not better.
Nope. Eating at New Paltz just got a whole lot more stressful. My heart goes out to the Sodexo staff as they work hard for the convenience of the student body, but I can’t imagine that they’re much happier. With the closing down of Oscar's for some dumb bakery (these are street rumors I’ve heard), there were big shoes to fill. I didn’t realize how awesome it was until it was gone.
You can say goodbye to those impromptu “I don’t feel like getting disappointed by Hasbrouck tonight!” visits to Oscar’s. Also, the great aesthetic of going to Oscar’s late at night without having to trek into town and use actual adult money is now gone. Within Oscar’s was three distinct eateries for you to get food, with enough space where you didn’t feel like the poor workers were literally on top of each other. These services are now jammed into the already-packed Student Union Cafeteria, where a lot of their establishments close nice and fucking early at 6:00 pm. That’s right, you read it right. You get three places to get food here only. It picked up Oscar’s slack, but everything has gotten more jammed than before.
Also remember that cool, hip, and totally awesome café called Element 93 I mentioned? Yeah, that also closes around 7:30 on a weekday. So the practical option is either the Student Union Building or Hasbrouck for dinner. Both get incredibly jam-packed around 6:00. You have better chances of finding a goddamn leprechaun then getting a seat in Hasbrouck at dinner time, and you better have seven hours to spare if you plan on ordering food in the Student Union Building.
Also, if you ever plan on coming/visiting, B.Y.O.W.B (Bring Your Own Water Bottle). That’s right. There're no water bottles for sale. There're more chances of getting a seat at Hasbrouck for dinner or seeing a tyrannosaurus rex. You can buy a bottle of “diet crap” or other glorified sugar drinks but you can’t even get Poland spring. It’s a “green” campus for sure.
If there was a way to describe eating on campus this year, it would be “claustrophobic." A lot has been jam-packed this year. While the campus is only so big, it’s just easy to look back at the good ol' days of not getting pasta bowls from Pomodoro’s. I know what you’re thinking…
“Oh whatever, it's just some college kid complaining about food. So self-entitled. Some people out there have real problems.”
That’s right. I am complaining. I like to eat and now it’s stressful. I can complain about whatever I feel like. I only spend a ridiculous amount of money to come here. Overall while I am still a fan of the food on campus, reforms need to be made on placement and location of food on campus in the coming years. Upperclassmen should have more options!
