After School Snacks: Student Food Establishments in Undergraduate Housing

Citation:

Aidan Connaughton. 12/17/2018. “After School Snacks: Student Food Establishments in Undergraduate Housing”. Type of Work: SOCIOL1104 Fall 2018 course research project.

Abstract:

Harvard College undergraduate housing hosts six student food establishments within the Houses. These food establishments consist of five grilles and one cafe. Students manage each of these establishments with the aid of administration, though the extent of that support varies distinctly. Operating as late-night dining for undergraduate students, the food establishments are spread throughout the campus so as to allow access to students in all Houses, not just those with food establishments contained within. Student and administrative goals for these spaces are similar: the establishments are not intended to be profitable but rather to be important spaces for social and academic engagement among students. In addition, a lack of late-night hot food from dining services and spaces in which to socialize and study led to increased student demand and the creation of the student food establishments. Administrators also lauded the opportunity for student managers to develop entrepreneurial and business skills. Interviews and ethnographic research points to the networks that student managers and employees form with other students in the House as successful outcomes. In addition, video evidence from five of the food establishments indicates that the hoped-for interaction among students within the House happens fairly often, though more research throughout the course of the semester should be taken to avoid biases from the timeline of collected evidence.

Notes:

Class of 2019, Concentration: Government and Linguistics
Last updated on 02/12/2019