Spring Intersession at the University of North Florida began May 5 and runs until Summer A and full-term classes begin May 12.
Less than 100 students are living on campus this intersession, according to a university spokesperson. So what’s available to this small group of on-campus residents this week? The answer: not much.
Some university facilities remain open this week on an altered schedule, like the Student Wellness Complex. Others, are closed all week, like the Game Room and Eco-Adventure. While parking lots and garages are emptier than ever, intersession residents are most frustrated with the limited campus food options.
‘I’ve just been fending for myself in the communal kitchen’
Adrianna Thomas, a freshman at UNF, is staying on campus during intersession. Thomas said she’s staying this week because, like most intersession residents, it would be impractical to move out of her dorm for a week just to move back in for summer classes. Thomas said she was surprised by how limited on-campus dining options are this week.
“I was just a little surprised that there was like nothing open on campus this week because there are still people on here,” Thomas said.
The only two campus dining locations that are open during intersession are Einstein’s Bagels and the Market at Alumni Square. However, the two food spots have limited hours and close at 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and are closed on the weekend.
“If it’s late, I can’t really get anything [to eat],” said Thomas. “You’re forced to buy your food somewhere else at that point—or just not eat at all.”
Another student, Brooke Hom, said this week has been difficult when it comes to making food since she doesn’t have much space in her mini-fridge.
“I’ve just been fending for myself in the communal kitchen,” Hom said.
Hom said she didn’t know about the limited dining hours until she found them herself online, earlier this week.
“This may be on me—but I never heard anything about it,” Hom said about the limited hours.
In addition to limited dining options, the Osprey Connector shuttle bus doesn’t run during intersession, making it difficult for students without cars to eat or buy groceries off campus. When classes are in session, a shuttle bus runs a daily route from campus to St. Johns Town Center for easy access to groceries and shopping, but this option is also unavailable during intersession.
In response to some of these concerns, a university spokesperson said students’ housing contracts make the intersession dining limitations clear.
“The limited number of students who requested to remain on campus [during Spring Intersession] were notified in their housing contract that dining options are limited during intersession and were given the link with the hours of operation,” the university spokesperson said in a written statement.
The Necessities
Another intersession resident, Felicity Fuehring, lives in the Flats at UNF. For Fuehring, intersession is no different than any other week living on campus since she usually makes her own food anyway. Still, Fuehring said she’s frustrated with the on-campus food options and which is one reason she doesn’t have a meal plan.
“The food on campus is really overpriced at times,” Fuehring said. “Compared to other universities, UNF doesn’t have the variety… the food options are very limited.”
Fuehring does, however, use the UNF Lend-a-Wing pantry for groceries and said she’ll probably depend on the resource more this summer as grocery prices continue to rise. Lend-a-Wing is a Student Government agency that provides free food, hygiene items and school supplies to UNF students. It was open every weekday during the spring semester, but during intersession, it’s closed.
“It seems small because of how short a period of time [intersession] is, but this is a big issue,” Fuehring said.”If [the university] wants students to come here, that has to start with the bare necessities: better housing; better food options.”
During the summer semester, Lend-a-Wing will be open Tuesday through Thursday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., according to the SG Instagram page. For students looking for transportation off campus while the Osprey Connector is inactive, a city bus runs on a normal schedule from campus to other locations including St. Johns Town Center. For details on the city bus routes and schedule visit the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) for UNF Campus webpage.
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