While some Eastern students are frustrated about the lack of a food court while the new one waits to be completed, other students say they remain unaffected.

The temporary food court location in the basement of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union has been closed while its equipment is moved into the new food court. That is still under construction in the same building and scheduled for completion by the end of January.

Shirley Stewart, interim vice president for student affairs, said the university was hoping to move most of the equipment over winter break, but delays in installing glass and delivering equipment prevented it.

Jennifer Lampley, a freshman psychology major, said that the time students spend waiting for the availability of a food court will “pay off in the long run”.

“It is an inconvenience now, but I think that the food court will be that much better in the end,” she said.

However, freshman Mary Payne sees the wait as a hassle.

“It’s inconvenient,” Payne, a special education major said. “I can’t wait for the new food court to open.”

Kourtney Wehrle, a freshman psychology major, said she is inconvenienced by the lack of a food court in the Union since she is a resident of Pemberton Hall, which had a dining center that was closed last semester.

“When Pemberton’s dining hall closed down, we had the Union as our closest dining option,” she said. “The Union is closer to Pemberton than Stevenson is, and when you’re studying at night, the shorter walk saves time.”

Freshman Kyle Snyders, a elementary education and theater major, purchased the 5-meal and 200 dining dollar plan. He is disappointed because he can’t use his dining dollars on food court establishments.

“I have a lot of dining dollars that will go to waste,” he said.

Freshman Jamie Gorny, a speech communication major, bought the same meal plan as Snyders.

“(The closing of the food court) is not fair for the people who have more dining dollars than meals,” she said. “I think that it should have been done before we got back from break.”

To compensate for the absence of a food court, Stevenson’s East Tower Dining Center is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, four more additional night hours.

Stevenson dining employee Jessica Nodulman, a sophomore speech communication major, says that the change hasn’t really affected her schedule.

“I haven’t been specifically told to work the extra night hours, but I have been encouraged to,” she said.

But Nodulman also said that she has noticed that the East Tower is now much busier than it was last semester.

“We are a lot busier, especially around 12:00,” she said. “There were people standing outside the door.”

Some students commented that they haven’t been greatly affected by the closing of the food court.

Sophomore Jim Boldrey, a sports management major, noted that Stevenson is a sufficient substitute for Subway.

“I usually eat at Stevenson anyway, so it’s not a really big change,” he said.

Sophomore Andrea White said that she was unaware of the closing of the old food court.

“I was planning on eating at the food court, but I saw the sign saying that it was closed,” White, a elementary education major, said.

She also mentioned that it was not a big problem to dine at Stevenson instead.

One student, Bridget Dillon, commented on how the food court presents a more healthy diet than the typical cafeteria cuisine.

“I get sick of the cafeteria food really easily,” Dillon, a sophomore business management major, said. “Subway is not only healthier, but it is also just a change.”