By Kristy Volmert | Staff Writer
Located in Brooks Residential College, the Great Hall has provided dining services to students for 18 years. Now, the very last regular meal will be served at lunchtime on May 14th.
When the news was shared on April 25th that the Great Hall would no longer offer dining services after this semester, many students were devastated. Some Brooks residents have decided to advocate on its behalf.
Baylor graduate Miguel Iglesias — who lived in Brooks Residential College — created the petition, which currently has 1,243 signatures. A group of students from Brooks have also organized a protest that is set to take place Thursday afternoon.
Rosenberg freshman Clarissa Dickson, a resident in Brooks Residential College, said her favorite thing about the Great Hall is the atmosphere.
“It always feels like we’re growing a community in there,” Dickson said.
The Great Hall has been a place where many relationships have cultivated for Dickson, and she said it “feels like home.”
“The Great Hall is part of Brooks,” she said. “And I think losing a part of Brooks would hurt a lot of us.”
Hudson, Wis., freshman Sophia Slavsky said she is going to miss the Great Hall very much.
“There are so many good things about the Great Hall,” Slavsky said. “The staff is super sweet, the food is wonderful and you get to build a great community here.”
Slavsky and Dickson both said they like coming to the Great Hall because they know that they will encounter someone they know and have someone to sit with.
“The convenience of it is definitely nice, but it’s much more than just that,” Dickson said. “There’s so many great things that happen here, friendships and relationships are built.”
Slavsky said the environment of the Great Hall tends to be more calming and welcoming than other dining halls.
“Throughout the day, I come in for lunch and I’ll see people I know and just sit down and eat with them, whereas in other dining halls, I’ll walk in and just end up watching YouTube on my phone, usually just sitting by myself,” Slavsky said.
Dickson said she thinks that other dining halls like Penland tend to be “overstimulating” because of how crowded they are.
“Here in the Great Hall, you can see everybody who’s in here within about two minutes of looking around,” Dickson said.
Dickson said the Great Hall is her favorite dining hall, and she wishes it would stay open. She was especially fond of the white chocolate raspberry scones and chocolate chip bread that she only saw served at the Great Hall.
“From white chocolate raspberry scones, just sitting here eating and talking, whether it’s talking about the food or talking about classes, to sometimes spending hours just sitting in here … I love it,” Dickson said.
Albuquerque N.M., senior Ana Gonzales lived in Brooks Residential College for all four years at Baylor and said the Great Hall has facilitated many great memories and even greater meals. She said the Great Hall should stay open because it is “the heart of the Brooks community.”
“People like it here,” Gonzales said. “A space this beautiful deserves to get daily attention. Otherwise, it’s a waste.”
