For the last two years that I’ve been at La Salle, I have noticed that the lunch lines are consistently out of control. At the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year, La Salle implemented a new system where students would form two lines on either side of the cafeteria instead of four, which was the previous arrangement. While having two lines sounds like a normal system, it has many flaws. To resolve these issues, La Salle should revert to the four-line system.

The wait time is probably the worst aspect of the new lunch line system. Cutting down from four lines to two lines effectively doubles the wait time, and leaves people waiting for far longer than they should; potentially upwards of ten to fifteen minutes, or around half the lunch period. The first day this system was implemented, the beginning of my sophomore year, I had to wait twenty-seven minutes out of my thirty minute lunch break; I noticed this because by the time I had gotten back to me table to sit and eat, the bell had rung. Granted, we’ve come a long way in those two years, but the wait time is still far longer than the four-line system that we had my freshman year.

As a result of this long wait time, cutting has skyrocketed. This huge influx of cutting leads to massive mobs of people that swarm the very front of the line, near the walls, and extends the wait time even more. Without enforcement of the “no cutting” rule, people will continue to do it. But there is a much simpler way to eliminate cutting: get rid of the two line system that is really unnecessary.

To me, going back to the four-line system seems to be the best way of alleviating the problems with the two line system. Cutting is a natural result of the two-line system; spending time or money to enforce it is like cutting an unwanted plant at the stem rather than pulling it out by the roots. In other words, instead of fixing a broken system over and over again, we should just go back to the way that works.

One very recent improvement made to the system is a desk for students to put money on their lunch accounts. This keeps people out of the line and cuts down on the wait time — and this is definitely a welcome change. However, this option will not be available every day, but students can instead come in before school or during break to add money to their accounts, as this will no longer be allowed in the regular lunch lines. I feel that this improvement is a step in the right direction, but it also isn’t as effective as the old, four-line system.

Returning to this old approach, combined with a second a la carte option for students, will help keep lines short and efficient. However, if the two line option is retained, the lines will likely remain unruly and inefficient. The path forward seems clear: let’s go back to the four-line system.

Creative Commons photo source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/butterflysha/140523563