A Feb. 21 email announced the Tiger Cooler’s closing time would shift from 10 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. five days a week. The email was sent by ASOC President Cecilia Grané (junior). According to Grané, the Cooler used to stay open past 1 a.m. before the COVID-19 pandemic, and last semester, it began closing at 10 p.m. because of a labor shortage during late-night shifts.
“I started meeting with Campus Dining in October, and basically from the second meeting in person with [Assistant Vice President for Hospitality and Auxiliary Services] Erik Russell, he said, ‘OK, we can make [extending the hours] happen,'” Grané said. “It still wasn’t clear what that time was going to look like […] but he told me that Occidental was going to have a new source of labor coming in because Oxy’s Campus Dining had partnered with a company [called Hospitality Training Academy (HTA)].”
According to Russell, Occidental’s Campus Dining has an ongoing partnership with HTA.
“The Hospitality Training Academy is a nonprofit organization that offers free culinary and hospitality training programs, including an apprenticeship program for line cooks, to underserved individuals seeking careers in the hospitality industry,” Russell said via email. “HTA collaborates with various employers, such as hotels, restaurants, stadiums and convention centers to facilitate job placements for its graduates.”
Russell said the decision to extend the Tiger Cooler’s hours was based on student demand.
“Late-night foot traffic and feedback indicated a need for on-campus dining beyond 10 p.m. This change enhances student life and safety by reducing the need to leave campus for food while increasing engagement,” Russell said via email.
According to Grané, ASOC conducted a survey with 191 responses to determine whether the Cooler should close at 1:30 a.m. on Fridays or Saturdays, with 74.3 percent of respondents choosing the latter option.
Ellie Chang (junior) said she had class from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. earlier this semester and dropped her 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. lab partly because finding dinner became difficult.
“I got out of class and walked over to the Cooler thinking that I would be able to have food, and there was nothing,” Chang said. “At a certain point, it was just hard to find food on campus late at night.”
Andrew Notter (senior), a member of the men’s soccer team, said the extension has made it easier for him to make sure he is eating during his busy schedule.
“My eating schedule doesn’t necessarily align with the hours that they have at the Cooler and the Marketplace and the Green Bean,” said Notter. “I really think that extending the hours of the grill and keeping the Cooler open just later in general has been great for my ability to maintain a healthy weight as a college student.”
Zion Knowles (first year), a member of the men’s basketball team, said he supports the extension and is grateful for the Cooler employees.
“It’s pretty great, I come over here at 10 o’clock and get some fruit to eat,” Knowles said. “I love the staff. Shout-out to everybody at the cash register — they really make my day every day.”
Grané said that while advocating for the extension of the Cooler hours, she argued that the new hours would help increase the student retention rate.
“One of the main priorities for senior administrators right now is student retention and improving the student experience at Oxy. They’ve put a lot of their energy into projects, including renovations like the Samuelson Pavilion,” Grané said. “[To] me, seeing the Cooler hours getting shortened was also something that seemed like a bad investment for the college when they’re putting so much effort into these renovations.”
According to Food Services Manager of the Cooler Monica Jones, the decision to extend the hours was made without her input. Jones said she is more than willing to accommodate the changes, but she is also concerned about the safety of some of her employees who work late nights.
“I have employees [who] don’t own a car, can’t drive, walk home, take buses, whatever, and that is a concern to me,” Jones said.
According to Senior Director of Communications Rachael Warecki, the union Teamsters Local 911 represents most Campus Dining and Facilities employees, including the Tiger Cooler staff, with some exceptions such as students and managerial employees.
“The College and the union have not set a date yet for the first bargaining session, but it will likely be in April or May,” Warecki said via email. “Setting working hours and shifts is a management responsibility and has not been part of a bargaining process.”
Russell also said that the decision to extend the Tiger Cooler hours is economically viable.
“The program is viable though dependent on traffic counts during those hours to maintain viability,” Russell said via email. “Over the first month of late-night hours, approximately 8 to 10 percent of our total daily traffic in the Cooler is seen after 10 p.m. We will continue to monitor trends and see if we need to make any further changes like reverting to the old hours if demand lags.”
Contact Bennett Michaels and Theodore Wilton at bmichaels@oxy.edu and twilton@oxy.edu
Nature is healing!