Why Salem State should extend the hours of the North Campus Cafe

By Joshua Bebis on February 17, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

Salem State students are extremely lucky to have two dining halls on their campus, as many other schools in the New England region only have one. With that being said, many students are calling for the dining commons located on North Campus to extend their hours and even be open on the weekends as well.  

Photo from @vikingdiningssu on Instagram

North Campus resident Nathaniel Saint-Fort stated, “I often go to North Dining for breakfast and lunch, yet I often skip dinner especially in the winter because of the far walk in the cold weather in the winter. We aren’t all lucky to be able to have a car on campus.” Saint-Fort also didn’t hesitate to mention the fact that his girlfriend, who is a resident of North Campus herself, stated, “I don’t feel comfortable having my girlfriend walk a mile to Marsh Dining by herself at night.”

Another huge reason why North Campus residents would like North Dining to be open later is many don’t feel safe walking by themselves down to Central Campus at night; many carry pepper spray and other safety tools out of precaution. In order to access Marsh Dining, North Campus residents must walk off campus, passing apartment complexes and different shops, until they make it back onto Salem State property. 

To make matters worse for North Campus residents, there are no emergency blue light boxes that are accessible to students once they make their way off North Campus in case of an emergency. Once students leave North Campus, if an emergency occurs, students are basically on their own until they can reach the blue light emergency box located in front of the Bertolon School of Business. Saint-Fort’s fear is a common one that North Campus residents have every night and on the weekends as they make their journey to fill their stomachs. 

North Dining, which was once two levels before the COVID-19 Pandemic, has nearly all the same food options as Marsh Dining and even offers students a Mexican grille, which is very popular. Salem State alum, Henry Doherty, emphasized the various fast-food restaurants, such as Burger King and Subway, that were popular dining options on campus before the closure of the dining commons on the second floor.

Doherty stated, “Me and Rafi, who is one of my close friends, used to go to Burger King on the second floor every Friday. It was our tradition since we were freshman. Originally, the unique restaurant offerings actually played a factor in my decision to attend Salem State.” Doherty, along with many students even believe that North Dining’s food quality is better than Marsh Dining’s, but were and are subjected to eat the food at Marsh nearly every night and six times on the weekend.  