Editorial: Senior liberty

A five minute drive out of the North Campus parking lot is all it takes for hungry, hard-working seniors to find themselves parked outside of a Chipotle, Noodles and Co., Subway, McDonald’s, Mariano’s and more. After three tediously long, grueling years of high school, senior students deserve the privilege of utilizing their hour-long study hall and lunch break to venture off campus.

It is understandable why this idea has never been seriously debated before. Prior to this year, no mandatory study hall existed, and lunch was only 25 minutes, leaving barely any time for students to even think about leaving. However, with the updated schedule, a new opportunity emerges: leaving campus for lunch.

Consider the situation. Senior students (with a B- or better in all their classes) supporting local businesses and eating at any nearby restaurant of their choice. While the new cafeteria is awesome, there is no doubt that it can get very hectic sometimes as the lines tend to get annoyingly long. This promotes the stance that in some situations, lunch time at LT causes stress for students rather than alleviating it. Having an hour, in the middle of a busy school day, to sit, eat, and relax in a comfortable environment would be a fantastic break for the seniors that deserve it.

Extending the prospect of an off campus lunch also provides additional incentive for seniors starting to fall victim to the wildly common pandemic known as senioritis. When second semester hits, most seniors already know what college they will be attending in the fall, and suddenly, unsurprisingly, lose motivation to keep up with their classes because they see no point. Offering seniors the freedom to venture out past LT boundaries for an hour, as long as they maintain a B-, is the perfect encouragement for slacking seniors to continue striving for decent grades.

One of the most exciting aspects of being a senior is the independence involved with turning 18, and suddenly finding that important decisions are entirely yours to make. And what is more important than your diet? People joke about the fearsome “freshman 15” and the issues with gaining weight your first year of college, but in our society of predominantly overweight individuals, eating healthy should be on top of the priority list. Exploring local eateries for a lunchtime meal would mimic the same situation many college students find themselves in daily and therefore would provide an excellent introduction to making good eating decisions on your own.

It is clear that the benefits to instituting an off campus lunch opportunity for seniors is a logical idea, with a handful of benefits. Supporting local businesses, promoting healthy eating, motivating seniors to do well in school, and the absolute elation that will ignite as a result of this opportunity should all make this lunchtime decision worthwhile to take into heavy consideration.