Dining Services at Elizabethtown College piloted a program where they kept the Marketplace open until 8 p.m. every night instead of 7 p.m. the week of April 19.

This change comes following the Spring 2021 Senior Leadership Senate meeting, where a student raised the topic of the Marketplace hours to the Senior Leadership Team, and President Cecilia McCormick said that she would work on starting a program like this.

The main reason cited for the Marketplace needing longer hours was sports teams. Many teams have practices that run into the hours of the Marketplace, making it difficult for those students who relied on meal swipes to get food. Dining Services has also been trying a program this year where certain sandwiches at the Jay’s Nest count as a meal swipe, since the Jay’s Nest is open later and is a quicker option for grabbing and going.

Senior Sarah Fake, who has been on the track and field team for her four years at Etown, has been utilizing the new hours at the Marketplace after track practice and is very fond of the program, saying, “I’m able to complete practice and workouts without having to worry about squeezing in time to eat.” Fake said that she saw many athletes taking advantage of the extended hours when she was in the Marketplace during the extra hour. She also said that she wished that this had been an option for her in the past when she relied more heavily on meal swipes.

Senior and Etownian Staff Writer and Photographer Emma Pile said that she often finishes her workouts as the Marketplace closes and she had been taking advantage of the new extended hours. Pile stated that having later hours in the Marketplace allowed her to schedule her evenings with less of a rush to get to the Marketplace. She says she has seen many students utilizing this time, and that the extra hour helps to thin out the 6 p.m. dinner rush.

Dining Services has declined to comment on the extended hours of the Marketplace.