Stony Brook students waited as long as 40 minutes, in a line that started at the side of the Student Activities Center and extended across the Academic Mall, during Homecoming’s opening day. Pesky yellow jackets joined the festivities as the aroma of melted cheese, popcorn and handspun cotton candy filled the air. Some students waited patiently in the single file lines while others pranced back and forth waiting, like Rupal Gadkar, junior, business major.
After standing in line for the free cotton candy, Gadkar moved to the longest line for the nachos and melted canned cheese. “We’re not getting much,” Gadkar complained. Then added, “If we’re going to stand this long we should get something extra… more variety than just snacks.” Snacks are just what the school offered. “We’re not serving lunch today,” said faculty member Alexandra Duggan of Student Events.
Lil Wayne’s song ‘Always Strapped’ blared in the background and about 50 feet away from the line for nachos, more SBU students flocked to a table stacked with chips and an assortment of beverages, forcing staff and volunteers to maintain order by motioning to students to form a line. About a half hour later, the table was emptied of chips, soda, water and students.
But the free food was not enough to attract students to Saturday morning’s continental breakfast and “academic showcase” at the Wang Center on campus. Alumni, faculty and a small number of students whet their appetite with mixed fruit, assorted bagels, muffins and morning beverages. Also open to the community, the showcase featured ‘mini-lectures’ from faculty and guests. Stony Brook Student Ambassador for the event, Jennifer Long said of the food, “Campus catering is always very good.” However, Ambassador Darla Gutierrez also remembers a greater variety of food at past events and said this year the food seems to be, “more scaled down than other years.” Both seemed to agree the “scaled down” menu is the result of budget cuts, but that could not be confirmed by administration. “The bigger the event, the more conservative the food,” added Gutierrez.
The smell of barbecue and rising smoke could be seen as far away as the SBU Union building at Saturday afternoon’s Tailgate Party behind LaValle Stadium. Periods of rain sent patrons running on sinking terrain towards tents, where the Barbecue Buffet was held. For $10 students had their choice of burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, veggie burgers, cole slaw, macaroni salad, as well as fruit salad and dessert. For anyone 21 and over there were alcoholic beverages after staff confirmed your age by scanning your license. “Everything is free once you pay,” said Director of Advancement Events, Diana Hannan.
