By Dani Naess Hellesund
Staff Writer
Hillwood Commons at LIU Post is changing. There is talk of a juice bar, candy store, Apple Store, non-alcoholic sports bar, new cinema, and even rumors about a Chipotle being built. A new clothing boutique is already open. A McDonald’s rumor was dismissed at the Student Government (SGA) meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 5. However, with all the anticipated changes, it’s important to consider some factors before making any conclusions.
As someone who lives on campus, I can say there are limited options when it comes to food and things to do without leaving Post, especially during the weekends. Most of the food options are not available during the weekends. The only place to eat some real food is at Winnick.
If you get hungry during the night, you can treat yourself to some chips, ramen noodles, or a Pop-Tart at the Little Shop of Commons, which is situated in the same building, the Arnold S. Winnick Student Center.
If you want something else, you have to leave campus or order in. So, if the school is making some changes in the food department, that would be a good thing, but the school should not forget the students who live on campus full-time. To accommodate the resident students’ needs, the school should first extend the hours and days of operation of the food court at Hillwood, and provide an alternative to Winnick. Those would be nice changes.
Things to do on campus, other than scheduled social events, are quite limited. Winnick and Starbucks have always been a good place to relax, but having some more options – like going to a juice bar, candy store, or even a sports bar – would be some good alternatives. The cinema is always fun, but it does not run all the time. If the school were to provide a real cinema, such as the dialogue among students suggest, that would be pretty cool. Whether we need these alternatives is another story, but it would be fun to have some more options.
Well, I love Apple products as much as the next person, but after paying tuition, living on campus, and taking the occasional trip into the city, there is not that much disposable income.
An Apple Store is a good idea in theory, but I do not think that students are going to pay hundreds of dollars on Apple products unless there is something they need, and that happens maybe a couple of times a year. My question is, then, how if it is ture, will an Apple Store survive on campus?
Finally, it all comes down to needs and alternatives. I think that some changes in Hillwood Commons will be interesting, as long as they do not impact the students in a negative way. It is only positive to have options, but that depends on the hours of service. If the changes truly benefit all the students and draw more students to this school, I think that these changes can be good – but I encourage change within reason.
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