Nothing is open late on campus

Consider this: Your study group has lost track of time, as you have all collectively realized you are woefully unprepared for the next day’s exam. The table is covered in notebook papers and forgotten study guides. One of your peers is writing frantically on the whiteboard, raving wildly, while another looks on with a blank, quietly resigned expression. A friend beside you is cycling through a Quizlet with reckless abandon. Your stomach grumbles, and your heart drops as you read the time: 12:02 a.m. Nothing is open.

Has this ever been you? Dramatic and cliche as the scene may be, I venture to guess it has been. Even as a first-year student, I have seen the rigorous academic culture of Carnegie Mellon translate into many late-night study sessions that occasionally breach early morning. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, I suppose, but what does cause an issue is the lack of food-related infrastructure to support it. Most of the on-campus dining locations close from 8–9 p.m., a few of them close around 10–11 p.m., and only True Burger and Stack’d are open until 12 a.m.. Allegedly, Stephanie’s Market in the Mellon Institute is open 24-hours, but at that point, you may as well just go to a place on Pitt’s campus. (Also, I don’t know if my friends and I were just being stupid, but we tried one time to go there and failed to find a door that would open.) The closing times of these restaurants may seem reasonable at first glance…but not to a Carnegie Mellon student! Sure, we could all just stock up on snacks in our dorms, but is this sustainable? Is it healthy to have microwaveable-cup-mac-n’-cheese for “dinner” everyday? Physically, mentally, or otherwise? Can you even trust some of your peers to operate a microwave? I digress.

I will be the first to say that we certainly have bigger problems — on-campus and in general — but how nice would it be to solve this one! Apparently, even just last year, Egg Shoppe wasn’t just on Grubhub and wasn’t just in the morning; sometimes, it was open until 12 a.m. Waffles, eggs, pancakes, and milkshakes fueled late-night study sessions for any student wise enough to not revise on an empty stomach. Stack’d has a similar environment, and it certainly is a blessing, but I feel that we need more than just one ‘third space’ open late on-campus. And—for the greater good—we need them open later.

I believe that ANY dining location open until 3 a.m., and more locations open later in general, is exactly what Carnegie Mellon needs right now — for the sake of the community and for the sake of individuals. It can be anywhere—even Entropy+! Please, don’t make us travel to Pitt to eat after 12 a.m. For once, we want to have food at home.