You are on page 1of 7

Mendoza 1 Mikhaila Mendoza Mr.

Moberly Wri 10 Sec 22 May 16, 2013 Changing UC Merceds Dining Center Hours

Executive Summary The UC Merced Dining Center hours need to change. Student surveys have attested to this. The existing hours dont coincide with students class schedules and cause them to miss meals. Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day and our brains need food to focus and function well in class. The simple solution is to open the DC one hour earlier and close at least two hours later. Students are even willing to pay more money for this change. Background UC Merced is the tenth and newest campus of the University of California system. It is also known as the first American research university built in this century. It opened on September 5, 2005 in Merced, California. Over the years it has been steadily growing with new buildings, more students, and a respectable reputation (UC Merced About). UC Merceds Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center is the main and only residential dining facility on the campus. There are other places to get food and snacks like the Lantern Caf, Diesel Dogs, and The

Mendoza 2 Summits Marketplace but the Dining Center is the main source for food. The DC offers eight food stations: Blue Plate, All American Grill, Kung Pow, Caliente, Paisanos, Field of Greens, Breakfast Bar, and Grab n Go (UC Merced Dining). The Blue Plate offers different entrees and sides each day. The All American Grill offers food like hamburgers, chicken nuggets, breakfast sandwiches, fries, and hot dogs. Kung Pow serves rice bowls, noodle bows, and egg rolls. Caliente serves Mexican food like quesadillas, tacos, and burritos. Paisanos offers pizza, grilled sandwiches, and specialty drinks. The Field of Greens includes a salad bar, soup station, and a make your own sandwich station. The Breakfast Bar contains cereal, bagels, fruit, yogurt and pastries. Last, but not least, The hours of operation of the Dining Center during Monday through Friday are 7:30am-10:00am for Breakfast, 11:00am-2:00pm for Lunch, and 4:00pm-9:00pm for Dinner. During Saturday and Sunday, Brunch is served 10:00am-2:00pm while Dinner is served 5:00pm-9:00pm. The Lantern Caf is only open weekdays from 7:00am to 6:00pm. The Summits Marketplace is open on weekdays from 10:00am to 11:00pm and on weekends from 9:00am to 5:00pm (UC Merced Hours). The Dining Center hours are supposed to accommodate to students classes.

Problem The Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center is the only facility on campus that provides full meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Therefore, UC Merced students rely on the Dining Center for their meals throughout the day. Currently, the Dining Center hours are as follows: Monday through Friday 7:30am-10:00am for Breakfast, 11:00am-2:00pm for Lunch, and 4:00pm-9:00pm for Dinner; Saturday and Sunday 10:00am-2:00pm for Brunch and 5:00pm-

Mendoza 3 9:00pm for Dinner (UC Merced hours). According to the description of the Dining Center, it offers extended evening hours to accommodate the needs of our diverse student population (UC Merced Dining). However, many students find themselves skipping meals and going to class hungry because the Dining Center hours conflict with class schedules. Numerous students complain about the hours. When I surveyed students on if they want extended hours and their reasoning, some responded that they have had to miss meals and would go through the day starving because the Dining Centers hours were conflictive (Mendoza). The earliest classes start at 7:30am which is when the Dining Center opens which means students cant get breakfast before their class. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially for students. If students dont have breakfast, then they have less energy and it is hard for them to focus. The research article I found supports the importance of breakfast for students (Sun). I found a research article where they state that missing breakfast has negative effects on students. Missing breakfast affects cognitive function, academic performance, school attendance, psychosocial function, and mood in children and young people. If breakfast is skipped, then it can be hard to make up for it later. It also reduces the intake of vitamins, fiber, and minerals. This happens when students go to class starving too. The hours that the Dining Center is closed are the only hours that some students are available to acquire food. Also, students want the Dining Center to close later than 9pm because no college student actually goes to bed at that time. The reality is that students stay up late studying or completing homework, and they become hungry. They dont have the option of going to the Dining Center since it closes at 9pm or the Marketplace which closes at 11pm. This is why I want to change the dining hours. Solution

Mendoza 4 The way to fix the Dining Center hours is to extend them. According to the survey I conducted, students have several suggestions for different hours. A majority of students want the Dining Center to open at 7:00am and close at 11:00pm. A few want the Dining Center to be open 24/7 and a few want the 2:00pm-4:00pm break to be nonexistent (Mendoza). I believe the first suggestion is feasible because the DC would only open an hour earlier and close two hours later. Students on the survey said they would be willing to pay a little more money in order to get these hours extended (Mendoza). These extended hours would satisfy the students and wouldnt be too hard for employees. Another possibility is to imitate UC Davis dining center hours by closing the DC earlier but having late night hours for the DC to be open. For example, the DC could close at 7:00pm or 8:00pm but open again 9:00pm-11:00pm or 10:00pm-12:00am. The picture on the next page shows UC Davis Dining Commons hours (Davis Wiki). This issue cannot go unnoticed. Something has to be done. The DC hours need to be changed. If the school is really dedicated to make the students happy and to improve their experience on campus, then they need to extend the DC hours. Not only will a change in the hours make students happier, it will improve their health and studying abilities. Right now, the DC hours cause students to skip meals and to go hungry at night. The solution I have proposed is not a big change which should allow the school to make an easy decision. This small change to the Dining Centers hours will allow students to study better and to be happier. There would be no more complaining and whining of how the DC is closed or how they are starving. Conclusion

Mendoza 5 UC Merceds Dining Center hours have been an issue for students this past year. Theyre supposed to be designed to complement students class schedules. However, according to the student survey I conducted, the DCs hours actually conflict with class schedules (Mendoza). This has caused students to miss breakfast, lunch, or sometimes all meals. Not only is this not healthy, it prevents students from performing well in their classes and affects their focus. UC Merced wants students to reach their full academic potential. For this, they need brain power which is derived significantly from food. This is why the DCs hours need to change. The suggestion I made of opening the DC at 7:00am and closing at 11:00pm would satisfy students. This is also a small change so it wouldnt cause a problem with employees. Students who participated in my survey have agreed to pay a little more money in order to make this endeavor possible (Mendoza). My proposal should be strongly considered.

Mendoza 6 Works Cited


Davis Wiki. "Dining Commons." Davis Wiki. Davis, 31 Oct. 2004. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. <http://daviswiki.org/dining_commons>. Mendoza, Mikhaila, Jonathan Litxayaleuth, Eleanor Busito, J. Newman, Natalie Hernandez, Casandra Castillo, and Monse Zamora. Student Survey. 1 Mar. 2013. Raw data. University of California Merced, Merced. Sun, Juan, He Yi, Zhiyue Liu, Yan Wu, Jiang Bian, Yanyan Wu, Yuki Eshita, Gaimei Li, Qing Zhang, and Ying Yang. "Factors Associated with Skipping Breakfast among Inner Mongolia Medical Students in China." Academic Search Complete. EBSCO, 1 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=4a1a5927-d3c1-4339-8c42757431a2ff86%40sessionmgr110&vid=10&hid=114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3 d#db=a9h&AN=85916460>. UC Merced. "About UC Merced." University of California, Merced. UC Regents, n.d. Web. 07 May 2013. <http://www.ucmerced.edu/about-uc-merced>. UC Merced. "Dining Services." Yablokoff Wallace Dining Center. UC Regents, n.d. Web. 07 May 2013. <http://dining.ucmerced.edu/yablokoff-wallace-dining>. UC Merced. "Hours of Operation Fall 2010." Hours of Operation. UC Merced Students First Center, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. <http://studentsfirst.ucmerced.edu/node/27>.

Mendoza 7

You might also like