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Refunds pending for Maggie’s closure

By Tanya Mok

Residents of the priciest dorm on campus are going hungry this winter semester.

The International Living and Learning Centre (ILLC) has yet to re-open its cafeteria, Maggie’s Eatery, after sewage pipes swamped the first floor of the building on Nov. 2, forcing students to travel elsewhere for meals.

Student Housing Services (SHS) told residents in November via e-mail that damages would

be fixed once they got back from the winter break. The date has been pushed back several times, and now students have been told that renovations won’t be completed until springtime. The extended absence of Maggie’s comes as yet another blow to ILLC residents.

“Major renovation work continues to the cafeteria and they expect it to be back in full operation by March,” said Ryerson President Sheldon Levy.

A temporary tuck shop called Grab N’ Go selling snacks like fruit and pre-packaged salads has been opened on ILLC’s first floor, but there are no full meals for sale.

Residents have also been re-directed to the cafeteria at Pitman Hall, but few have made the switch over, saying the food options aren’t as varied as Maggie’s, and don’t taste as good either.

“If you want to eat healthy, you’re screwed,” says Geoff Lachapelle, a first-year radio and television arts major.

Residents seeking more variety have now started eating a lot off campus, spending cash rather than the pre-paid money on their OneCard.

Mallika Fernandes, a first-year business management student, says she still has around $2,100 on her card — money that she won’t get back at the end of the year.

SHS has started inquiring about a form of compensation for students.

“The extent of the compensation has yet to be determined,” said Levy.

Students think they should get back their mandatory meal plan money. Nearing their third month without a cafeteria, ILLC residents have only had ten weeks of the services they paid for.

“It’s bullshit, utter bullshit,” said third-year hospitality student Carson Robertson. “The worst thing is we pay the most of all the residences. They’re taking our money and we aren’t getting anything.”

Paying up to $1,776 more than Pitman residents and $7,827.50 more than O’Keefe residents, many students are wondering why they chose ILLC in the first place.

1 Comment

  1. Katii

    Pitman students are hurting, too! We all went to Maggie’s regularly, since it was so much better than Pitman’s caf. Not only did the food taste better, it was (or at least seemed) healthier; I find it hard to get properly balanced meals elsewhere. ILLC students have it worst since they have paid the most and not gotten value for it, but I think all meal plan students deserve a partial refund.

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