Mizzou Market Central closed its doors at Pershing Hall on March 24 and will move into the Student Center on March 27. This comes following the acquisition of Pershing Hall by the Student Health Center. This decision puts those in “HawLeWood” — Hawthorn, Galena and Dogwood halls — at a disadvantage for access to on-campus dining options, and the new location in the Student Center presents its own problems.

The choice to return the market to the Student Center is a bad decision. The Student Center is a busy place on campus with plenty of people coming and going. It hosts many student organizations and has six campus dining locations already. Students don’t need campus dining locations consolidated more than they already are. 

The new location in the Student Center also means the market will have to shrink to fit within the space provided. This new space will not allow for the market’s Subway to move with it. Additionally, the new location will close at 9 p.m. as opposed to the current closing time of 11 p.m. Students often have classes and organizations that last late into the evening. Cutting the market’s available evening hours would be a detriment to students’ needs. Southwest’s Subway and Mizzou Market are currently advertised as staying open until 11 p.m., along with Pizza & MO. 

As far as distance is concerned, students in “HawLeWood” will be farther from the market and dining locations generally. Dining locations in the Student Center will be the closest to those living in “HawLeWood.” Half of the food options in the Student Center are not open past 4:30 p.m. The only exceptions to this are Baja Grill, Panda Express and the Mizzou Market Central. 

If you are trying not to spend extra money on Panda, that really only leaves Baja and the Mizzou Market Central. The market will only be serving snacks and grocery items, however. Students living in “HawLeWood” could go instead to Sabai, which is even farther than the Student Center. Those in “HawLeWood,” unlike Johnston Hall and Southwest, have no dining location built into it or within a similar proximity.

These inconveniences may seem marginal, but the trouble comes when comparing housing prices. During the current 2022-2023 school year, housing costs at Hatch and Schurz halls have been the least expensive at $6,470 for a community-style double room. Meanwhile, those in “HawLeWood” are paying $7,890 for the same style of room. This nearly $8,000 figure is the same price for those in Southwest as well as “HawLeWood.” They are the same price despite the fact that Southwest has a Starbucks, Mizzou Market-Southwest and multiple dining locations built into it.

Now, residents of Hatch and Shurz are closer to a dining facility than those in “HawLeWood” — being only two minutes away from Plaza 900. They will also be closer to a convenience store in the form of Emporium Café. Despite this, proposed pricing for the 2023-2024 year will not see a comparable drop in price for those in “HawLeWood.” The pricing for those in “HawLeWood” will remain equal to those in Southwest at $8,555. 

The Mizzou Market Central at Pershing Hall shouldn’t have been moved in the first place. That said, the new location in the Student Center is a misstep due to the already busy environment and lack of space. Those in “HawLeWood” — having been put further from a dining location than the lowest-priced dorm, Hatch — should see a decrease in their housing costs in the next year. 

Edited by Molly Gibbs | mgibbs@themaneater.com 

Copy edited by Ashley Dickey and Lauren Courtney