BY BIANCA BILLONI, STAFF WRITER
“The Common Hour Scaries” photo courtesy of Bianca Billoni
St. Bonaventure University holds no classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. — commonly known as “common hour.”
In theory, this is a great idea because it ensures that everyone has at least one hour in which they know both students and faculty are free. This can be helpful for advising meetings, review sessions, club meetings and more.
However, I tend to not be the biggest fan of common hour for one reason: The Hickey Dining Hall.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to complain about the food. I actually don’t mind the Hickey food, but that’s a whole other article. What I’m talking about is the overwhelming rush of people all getting out of class at the same time and all going to the same dining hall right after.
Yes, I’m sure there are people that go to the Reilly Center Café, Freshens or back to their dorm for lunch. But the most accessible option for people with a meal plan or who want a variety of options is the Hickey. Therefore, most people go there, causing many people all trying to get food at the same time.
I consider myself to be a patient person, so waiting isn’t an issue for me, although I’m sure that’s a big thing for others. My biggest issue is simply the overcrowding.
Let me make a comparison: grocery shopping.
When I’m going to the store, I have a list, and I’m going to check things off my list as I get my items. Then I’m going to go. When the grocery store becomes crowded, this becomes an issue because it’s more difficult to navigate the crowded aisles and try to move around people deciding what they want to get.
Similarly, during common hour, students rush to the dining area and jump into a line, hoping for the best. Typically, these lines aren’t well-managed, and it makes it difficult to find where each one leads to. More so, some people simply stand right in the dining area deciding what they want to get rather than waiting to go once they’ve made a decision.
If you couldn’t already tell, I am someone who struggles with anxiety (cue nervous laughter). Because of this, I understand that common hour affects my other anxious friends and me out there differently than many people. However, I feel that even without the anxiety struggles, this has to be something that the average person finds to be a hassle as well.
I think if our campus had another big dining hall like the Hickey, common hour would work just fine.
I know that brings up many other issues of staffing, a location for the new building and a plethora of other things, but my point is that we don’t have another big dining hall, so I just don’t think common hour is worth all the hassle.
billonbd19@bonaventure.edu
