Brunch

For many Harvard students breakfast is a rare experience. Each morning 30 to 40 per cent of all students in Harvard College miss breakfast, not because they don't like it, but because they fail to get up by nine a.m. when the dining halls close.

The University Food Services owe something to these students who for various reasons are not up by nine but who have paid for a meal. (The argument that the board rate is constructed on the consideration that the average student does not have 21 meals a week in the dining hall is interesting; however, the official estimate of 18 meals a week is still too high.) Extending the regular breakfast until noon would be extremely expensive and would make it impossible for the next meal to be prepared, but the Food Services admits that it could provide rolls, butter, coffee, cereal, and milk on a self-service basis between 9 a.m. and noon at no great cost.

The Union and each of the Houses have kitchen staffs on duty between breakfast and lunch and members of this staff could easily supervise a daily brunch. Restricting the eating area to the small dining rooms or to special sections of the main dining room would minimize additional table-cleaning and maintenance.

Several dining halls already make some effort to meet the needs of late-rising students by remaining open a few minutes after the official closing time, or by making coffee available after nine a.m. This is not sufficient. A minimal breakfast should be available in all dining halls throughout the morning.