A leftover COVID system is stymying the freedom and spontaneity students need. Colleges should give it up and let us choose.
In 2020, as the world hurtled towards COVID, Oxford faced a hard question: how could it ensure its students were fed, whilst respecting COVID-19 restrictions?
The answer was Hall booking. It allowed colleges to uphold social distancing, and as a bonus told them how much food to serve. This could minimise food waste and the associated financial and environmental damage. It could also lighten the load on kitchen staff, resulting in more productive use of the fruits of too-rarely appreciated kitchen staff’s labour.
Since the pandemic, however, a smorgasbord of policies has emerged across Oxford: St Cross requires all meals to be booked, New College still books for early sittings and Formal Halls, whilst Univ books solely for Formal Halls. Formal booking makes sense – the work that goes into the meal justifies students organising themselves. But the inconsistency in standard meals astounds: without the pressures of the pandemic, booking for meals isn’t worthwhile.
Students are busier than ever. With the stresses of work and extracurriculars, it’s easy to imagine students letting meals slip. The release of freely eating with friends will be lost to dull bureaucracy and strict daily regimens. The bonds of friendship forged over a tagine or the in-jokes born of a tired lunch might be impossible to numerically assess, but are of incomparable value to students. What conveniences colleges could derive would be at a cost to student’s mental and physical well-being.
Trust students. The formality of booking served its purpose during the pandemic, but we don’t need it now. If Oxford promotes an independent working style, colleges should accept students know their own stomachs. Hall’s not the GP; we should be able to eat without booking days in advance.
