Clayton Beaton announced on Friday that Forest Hill’s cafeteria grill will now be open from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., after student complaints led to a petition.
Lacey Texmo, a Chatham Hall resident, says the grill hours at Forest Hill campus were inconvenient when her classes didn’t start until 4 p.m.
Although she admits she could have travelled to campus, she prefers to be in her room studying and doing laundry.
Other Forest Hill residents were also upset about the change of grill hours from opening at 11:30 a.m to opening at 4 p.m.
One student, Mathieu Carrier, decided to take action. With the help of Nicole Pozer, vice-president of student life, the students put together a petition calling for a change in hours.
“I decided to begin the petition because of the general displeasure that a lot of Forest Hill residents had been voicing between each other,” Carrier said.
Instead of just complaining, the student did something about it.
The Forest Hill cafeteria grill hours changed because “historically the grill…was not frequently used” during this time, according to a statement released by the cafeteria staff. Because students are usually on campus during the day, they use the George Martin Hall grill more.
However, students said it’s inconvenient for people staying at Forest Hill. The cafeteria staff apologized for not warning students about the new hours. They also explained they opened the main cafeteria an hour earlier and gave new options to compensate.
Carrier believes his strong voice as a student was heard.
“St. Thomas is a very tight-knit community, one where anyone who has something to say can stand up and be heard by all.”
The Food Service director, Wyn Gruffydd, was unable for comment.
“I feel as if the atmosphere at St. Thomas encourages students to speak up when they have something to say. I would suggest to those that feel uncomfortable speaking up to just give it a try. Even if they’re usually shy, what they have to say is important, and I’d love to hear from them.”
