Maddi O’Neill
Editor in Chief
Mom’s Truck Stop now closes at 2 a.m. instead of 3 a.m., following a decision made by administrators in Campus Dining and the Division of Student Life.
The change was implemented when students returned from Winter Break. The hours at Mom’s, a popular campus location for late night snacks and the only dining location open past midnight, are now 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.
Marjorie Shamp, interim director of campus dining and conference services, said the decision to close Mom’s an hour early was the result of several factors, the first being student behavior.
“Student behavior becomes increasingly more difficult for our staff to manage as the hours go by,” Shamp said. “Incidents reported by supervisors include unruly and intoxicated students behaving rudely or in a threatening manner toward staff; intoxicated students becoming ill in the dining room, forcing closure of the business; and students taking the wrong orders from the pickup window, backing up service and creating longer wait times.”
Shamp also said that sales data collected between August and November of 2015 indicated that food sales at Mom’s dropped off between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., and that closing the establishment an hour early also aligned better with when campus events are supposed to end.
Shamp said she worked with Coordinator for Student Rights and Responsibilities Jess Ettell and Administrative Director of Student Life Angela Johnston to determine that 2 a.m. would be a suitable time to close Mom’s.
“Quiet hours begin at 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturdays,” Shamp said. “Parties are required to end by 1 a.m. to coincide with quiet hours, so it made sense for them to support dining services changing the hours because it still gives students one hour to recharge and get some late night snacks.”
Ettell said this reasoning was persuasive in the decision to close Mom’s earlier.
“We discussed the students needing a space to get food, but based on what was explained to me with sales [and] quiet hours, that is how the conclusion was reached,” Ettell said.
Mom’s often serves as a location for students to access food without having to drive late at night.
Shamp said students who were concerned about having food available could choose alternatives to Mom’s after 2 a.m.
“It is a convenience to students to have a place to use meal plan funds during later hours,” she said. “Students who like to enjoy a late night bite have a number of options they can take advantage of using meal plan funds, including pre-planning by having a Pop’s Grab and Go meal available, a to-go container from Lowry or Kittredge filled with snacks or any number of snack foods available from MacLeod’s Convenience Store.”
Shamp also said that staff shortages had contributed to the decision to close Mom’s at 2 a.m. Several full-time staff members moved to new departments at the College at the start of Winter Break, she said.
“[The moves] did create a shortage, which we are now addressing with temporary employees and new hires, who are in the training process right now,” Shamp said. “In addition, it is difficult to hire and retain student support staff during late night hours, so many of those spots are still open.”