By Ashna Balroop 
Some University of Maryland students are pushing for extended dining hall hours, arguing that longer hours would fulfill their late-night cravings.

South Campus and Yahentamitsi dining halls close at 9 p.m. daily. 251 North Dining Hall closes at 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Some students find these hours inconvenient due to their schedules and turn to unhealthier food options to satisfy their late-night hunger. 

Haiden Saffer, a freshman government and politics major, believes later hours for dining halls would be beneficial since she has late softball practices. 

Saffer also believes that extended dining hall hours would give her better opportunities to prioritize school, which would help reduce her stress.

“I think it would 100% be very helpful because it would allow me later study hours and allow me to still have the time to get proper nutrition to fuel myself for those later study hours, and not necessarily worry about what I’m going to eat,” Saffer said. 

To fix the issue, Saffer suggests that the dining halls use leftovers for a grab-and-go station. She said that just having something available after 9 p.m. will be beneficial to a lot of students since they may be up studying. 

Jean Fantcho, a sophomore hearing and speech sciences major, eats at the dining hall at least once a day. She believes that the current hours are not convenient for college students and also mentioned that the hours do not match up with her schedule.

“It was a Friday and I wanted to get dinner, and I went to the 251 North but they closed at seven on Fridays, and it’s annoying,” Fantcho explained. 

When Fantcho is unable to eat at the dining hall, she turns to alternatives like the North Campus Market, which is open until 1 a.m. 

The North Campus Market is a convenience shop located in the Ellicott Community Center. The Market serves items such as bottled sodas, assorted snacks and frozen meals. It also has a cafe and grill. Some of the cafe’s items include chicken tenders, fries and bubble tea. While it provides a convenient alternative to the dining halls, the lack of healthy options leaves some students seeking more nutritious meals.  

Emily Brinckerhoff, a freshman majoring in environmental science and policy, goes to the North Campus Market if she cannot make it to the dining hall before it closes. 

“I go to the North Campus Market and head to the grill to get some chicken tenders, which is not the most balanced meal,” Brinckerhoff said. 

Michael Ewachiw, a freshman majoring in general biology, also believes that longer hours would create a more relaxed schedule for students. 

“You could have more flexibility with your eating time and pushing your meals back to do homework,” Ewachiw said. “If you’re not on campus for a portion of the evening, you could come back and eat in the cafeteria instead of having to scavenge your room for food.” 

Ewachiw has also experienced the struggle of eating when the dining halls are crowded during peak hours, especially Yahentamitsi. Extended hours may help eradicate this issue. 

“It would free up space in the dining hall too, because I sometimes used to walk around for half an hour to get a seat,” Ewachiw said. 

It is apparent that some students feel that change needs to be made, but it is uncertain if UMD will make any changes to accommodate students’ schedules and late-night hunger. For now, students will continue to rely on their own snack collections or places such as the North Campus market to get through the night.

Featured Image: Students walking outside of the Yahentamitsi Dining Hall. Photo by Ashna Balroop