Third and Fourth Formers Move into Community Room for Lunch

Third and Fourth Formers have been eating outside to combat the spread of Covid-19 when students are maskless and eating. As temperatures have been dropping, the Third and Fourth Formers had to battle the cold as they ate outside. 

Now, they eat in the Durham Community Room, where the ping pong tables usually are located. Even with warmer conditions, students are expressing some frustrations with their new dining arrangements including the long walk to the cafeteria and the limit of five people to a table, a rule that is strictly enforced. 

Fourth Former Adon Gross considers both indoors and outdoors dining to be similar, giving a slight edge to eating indoors. 

“Eating inside is good, and I guess I would say I prefer it to eat outdoors because it’s cleaner, but overall I think they are the same,” Gross said. 

While underclassmen generally prefer eating indoors because it is warmer and cleaner, there are complaints about the lack of space for students because of the rule of only five people at a table. It can be hard to find a seat if you are late for lunch, and it can also be hard to find a seat with your friends. 

Fourth Former Alexander Peshek-Percec has a stronger opinion than some of his peers. 

“It was also freezing out, so overall sitting instide is better, except for the five-person per table rule.”

Alexander Peshek-Percec ’24

“Personally I think that the five-person table rule is bad. We are constantly around each other throughout the day, and when we were outside there were way more than five people per table,” Peshek-Percec said. “However, eating outside was horrible because the ground was muddy and our shoes and bags were disgusting. It was also freezing out, so overall sitting inside is better, except for the five-person per table rule.”

Eating inside provides an alternative for underclassmen who had previously been breaking the rule by eating inside the cafeteria. 

I talked to an anonymous underclassman who had been eating in the cafeteria because it was so cold. 

“I was eating in the cafeteria because it was too cold to eat outside. On some days it was even around 30 degrees, and spending more than five minutes in that temperature is horrible, especially when you’re sitting. A lot of people were eating in the cafeteria, and lots of teachers didn’t seem to care, so I just did it.”

Most Third and Fourth Formers are happy with the shift to indoor eating. But the lack of seating and the five people per table rule frustrate many underclassmen who feel like they can’t get a seat, let alone a good seat, at lunch.