With more students enrolled this fall, undergraduate students are feeling the effects of the stress on College resources as they wait in long lines throughout campus.
"Fall term is a real crunch," said Director of Dartmouth Dining Services Tucker Rossiter. During the Fall term, "it feels like everyone is here and everyone is eating," he said.
According to Rossiter, there are 83 more students with meal plans this fall than there were last year. The Office of Residential Life reported a similar rise of 20 students living in College-owned property.
Furthermore, enrollment and housing is typically highest during the Fall term. According to ORL, the College housed 3,325 students last fall, compared to 3,177 during the Winter term and 3,271 during Spring term last year.
"Every Fall term has the same feel," Ben Schwartz '06 said. "Fall is definitely the most crowded of all the terms."
DDS keeps the same amount of staff on for the Fall, Winter and Spring terms, but sickness or days off can create shortages. During these difficult times, DDS managers can sometimes be seen working the registers or taking over other duties, Rossiter said.
Rossiter also attributed the longer lines to new students who may be unwilling to explore other dining options.
He noted that Food Court and the Courtyard Cafe are initially the most popular for new students because of their variety, but as first-years explore other options, lines in these locations usually lessen.
Not all students are upset with the long lines. "Overall, it runs pretty smoothly," said Abe Clayman '07, who added that he does not mind waiting a few more minutes because it gives him an opportunity to talk to friends.
As an attempt to deal with overcrowding, DDS has added new items to its menus including a "very popular" new selection of Mexican food at the Courtyard Cafe, Rossiter said.
For the moment, long lines seem to be limited to dining establishments and have not affected campus health facilities. According to representatives at Dick's House, they have remained consistently busy this term, but there has not been a significant change in the amount of appointments scheduled.
