Happy week 13, Pioneers! We hope you had a good Easter weekend (if you celebrate) and are ready for the remaining weeks of the semester. You got this!

On March 31, it was announced that the Boost app will be closed on the weekends for the remainder of the semester in order to do “more exciting” things in the dining hall. The grill and pizza stations will be open on the weekends in the dining hall as well. The Point Cafe market will be open on weekends from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. While activities in the dining hall may be a great opportunity to build some campus community, Boost needs to be open on the weekends, especially since it is one of the only two places to eat on campus, and Point Perk is already closed on the weekends. 

We have mentioned numerous times in this column that Point Park is one of the most food-insecure higher education institutions in the city. In 2019, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank reported that 38% of over 300 surveyed Point Park students were dealing with food insecurity. That was before food scarcity problems with the pandemic and inflation issues. 

While the prices in the Cafe may be high, it is another option for students, especially those with a meal plan. Those with a meal plan should have the right to buy from Boost when they want to; that is what they are paying for. 

Again, we are paying more for less services. The dining hall is also infamous for having inconsistent hours and very limited options for those with dietary restrictions. If Boost remains closed during the weekends next academic year, some serious changes need to be made to ensure high quality food, or at least something edible, for all students all of the time. 

As the semester comes to a close, students also need to spend their flex dollars, as they will not roll over in the fall. Boost offers students the ability to use the remainder of their money on full meals versus the instant food and snacks that are not the most nutritious in the market. While commuters may not be here on the weekends, there are still students on campus that need to be fed. The dining hall should not be our only option.

All in all, we hope that you have a great rest of your semester and have access to food, Pioneers!