Does a Sandwich a Day Keep the Hunger Away?: Spring Break at the Forest
Tracy Wamarema ’28
wamarematwa@lakeforest.edu
JOUR 320 student
LAKE FOREST– Hundreds of Lake Forest College students were left scrambling for meal plans when Residence Life abruptly announced that the cafeteria would be closed over spring break. Students staying on campus would have to rely on food from either The Den or The Market.
The scramble began three days before spring break, on Tuesday, March 4 at about 4 p.m., when the Department of Residence Life sent out the information. The four-sentence email, void of a greeting or “kind regards,” began with a sharp “Students” and proceeded to inform the college community— for the first time— that the cafeteria would be closing that Friday after dinner. This came as a shock, particularly to international freshmen who did not plan to fly back home for the one-week vacation.
Other students were equally surprised, including sophomore Peyton Ross who stayed on campus during last year’s spring break and enjoyed “two meal swipes and the occasional soup.” This time, students would receive neither meal swipe nor soup. Instead, they would rely on Boomers Deli and the Market for nutrition—for a fee. While the email did not list any point of contact, it included multiple alternative payment methods, ranging from Boomer Bucks to Dollar cash.
The question on everyone’s mind was articulated by Maya Abu Akla, a first-year from Lebanon: “Why are there no meal swipes?”
Bonny Sucherman, the director of residence life, said it was an error.
“To be transparent, it was an oversight,” said Sucherman, “we spoke about doing the same thing [as] last year not realizing that last year there was a meal swipe.”
After multiple student complaints, Res Life sent out another email regarding the dining situation. Unlike the first, this one embraced the community with a warm “Hello Foresters!” However, spirits were quickly dampened as the email read almost exactly the same as the last one—save for the friendlier tone. The so-called “exciting update” was found at the bottom of the email in bold: Students may use up to “one meal swipe each day.”
The meal swipe allowed for one Boomer’s sandwich per day with a packet of chips. Occasionally, a random fruit—an apple here, a grapefruit there—appeared to compensate for the packaged fruit that typically lined Boomer’s fridge shelves. Those had sold out by Day Two.
On the first day, the Deli staff had a book where they recorded students’ names and IDs as they accepted their daily meal. By Day Three, the book was nowhere to be found. With the number of students exceeding 100, keeping track had simply become too tedious, said a student who works at Boomer’s.
From then on, Boomer’s became a free-for-all—or for one, more accurately.
“It [spring break] was an emergency situation,” said Giovanni Nicolicchia, a Parkhurst Dining representative.
Res Life said meal plans for shorter breaks are still in the works, and this has looked different from year to year.
“It depends on what’s available for the college budget,” said Sucherman. “The challenge has been communicating that in advance so students can be prepared.”
Meanwhile, the students in question faced a different struggle: appetite. Although grateful for the free sandwich, many felt it was insufficient.
“I eat a lot,” said Tendo Ndawula ’27, a student-athlete on the 15-meal plan.
He had 500 Boomer bucks at the start of the semester but by midterm, he was down to zero. With no remaining funds and no cafeteria access, he was forced to turn his budgeted money for fun into money for food. Ndawula visited grocery stores like Costco, where he spent about $60 on groceries for that week–excluding transport costs.
With limited food options, especially in Lake Forest, most students like Ndawula resorted to cooking. However, not every residence hall has a kitchen. For first-years, the most unprepared group, only McClure’s small but mighty cooker was available.
Some freshmen hiked across campus to Cleveland-Young, known to have the best kitchen. Others relied on the International Student House, which gave away free food that Friday—it was gone in minutes.
Takeout was another popular but expensive choice. Anticipating the tough week ahead, Filip Kmeto, a senior experiencing his first spring break on campus, turned to the app Too Good To Go, which sells restaurant leftovers at a discount. He ordered a mystery bag, hoping for baked goods that would sustain him for at least part of the week. The result? A six-pack of bagels.
Despite the struggles, this year marks an improvement from past spring breaks. In 2022, Boomers was open only from Tuesday through Sunday and allowed just one meal swipe per day. Looking forward, the college may be shifting toward better solutions.
On April 10, representatives from college departments including Parkhurst, Residence Life, and the Business Office met to plan improvements for future breaks. The next day, Vice President Ed Whipple emailed an update.
“A small working group of staff from across campus has come together to create plans to support access to housing, meals, and employment for students who plan to reside on campus throughout the summer,” Whipple wrote.
This effort follows increased concern over international student visa issues, which may prevent students from traveling home. Regarding Spring Break 2026, Res Life confirmed that by the start of the fall semester, students will be informed about whether to expect a sandwich or soup.