Staff Edit: Build another food court

The overcrowded and problematic situation in the Food Court at the George Sherman Union – a result of the largest-ever freshman class, the new BU Central lounge and the building’s prime location on campus – cannot be “self-solved,” as a GSU manager has proposed.

Students often have to wait 15 minutes or longer to order a burrito, or wait for a simple meatball sandwich during the lunch rush hour, and then go through the tiresome effort of finding a place to sit.

Administrators should understand that Boston University is not Colgate University, and that the large number of students – totaling at over 16,000 undergraduates – requires more than one food court.

The Student Union president, Jon Marker, has been so keen on opening a 24-hour diner on campus, but as far as we can tell, little is being done to follow through with it. The university should consider replacing the mostly empty Ziskind Lounge, which now serves as a study hall on the second floor of the GSU even though Mugar Memorial Library is right next door and hardly full of people, with a full-service diner or fast food joint.

Not only would a new fast-food restaurant, with adjacent seating, ease congestion on the lower level, but would also give students a wider variety of foods to choose from. And like the lower level, it could serve as a place not only to eat, but also to study and socialize with peers.

The limited hours of the GSU has also presented problems to students with late schedules, because several food court stations are open only until 8 p.m., with even more limited hours on the weekends.

Students who live in dorms without a kitchen and have busy daytime schedules have almost no options when it comes to finding a place to eat a late dinner. And those students who want to avoid long lines and limited seating often have no choice but to eat with the rest of the crowds.

Though the GSU has made improvements to its salad and sushi bars, it has done little to alleviate problems with congestion. Finding space on an already congested campus is not an easy task, but the second-floor lounge of the GSU is hardly used and should be redeveloped into a fast-food restaurant or diner.

In the meantime, the GSU should present more grab-and-go sandwich options for people who cannot spare the time to wait in line. These grab-and-go options could range from tuna sandwiches to chicken club pita roll-ups, and even include such features as weekly sandwich specials.

But in the long term, students should not have to sacrifice fresher food for prepackaged food just to avoid the chaos of long lines and crowded tables – because a student’s lifestyle depends on the food he or she eats.