After almost two years at this Jesuit University, there are a few things you can start to pick up on. Especially as someone who checks the online Tully menus to make sure they know what they’re eating before they get there. There is one piece of advice you can give to anyone new at Fairfield: never go to the Tully at 6:30 PM. The line during that time tends to go down the staircase and almost all the way to the check-in desk, longer than the line to check in at a basketball game. As a potential solution, keeping the Tully open until 8:30 or 9:00 could help. The same can be applied to the coffee places on campus, which, in my opinion, should be open later outside of finals. As a way to slowly integrate this, I suggest extending the closing times during the mid-term season as well.
Similarly, simply having other food options in general would be very helpful. Take the bookstore, for example. It can be turned into a convenience store. After everything closes and a student is hungry, they have to either order food or just eat candy in their room. Having the second half of the bookstore open to students 12 to 24 hours a day is hugely beneficial. Also, the difference between having to pay over 30 dollars for takeout and less than ten for ramen is huge. Not only that, but just having those essential bathroom products readily available in case of emergency is huge for those who do not have their cars on campus.
Personally, at a Catholic university, I expected there to be more non-meat options on Fridays during Lent. Who knew corndogs were such a hot commodity? Some fun food facts I’ve learned during my time here are that cake in the refrigerated section should be avoided, the grilled chicken can be scary, and that the Tully really loves its fish. The food, though, does have its perks. The themed dinners are one of my favorite nights in the Tully, with foods ranging from crab legs, lobster ravioli, and ribeye steak. Not to mention our dessert section, which during the Christmas and Halloween season covers the entire avocado toast station. However, once the weekend hits, it seems all of this delicious food disappears.
The rotating food trucks are a great option, except when you really need them. With the Stag being closed until 4 on weekends, the Levee closed all Friday and Saturday, and no food trucks, the Tully becomes the only accessible place. I realize the school had issues with people going out at night, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be open for lunch. I’m not asking for everything to be changed at once, but I think slowly implementing these changes would positively impact students opinions of the university. As the student population continues to grow, spacing and room in the eating areas start to become a larger issue.
