A staple of the Claremont consortium, cross-campus dining allows students to eat at any of the seven dining halls on campus. But an annual rumor about Harvey Mudd College’s dining hall closing to outside 5C students — a rumor since proven false — is raising concerns among some people in the community.
This year’s rumor first surfaced on Fizz, a social media app designed to facilitate anonymous connection on college campuses. In an Aug. 31 post, one user said that the Hoch-Shanahan Dining Commons would be closing to non-Mudd students beginning the following Tuesday.
A second post reiterated the rumor by claiming that students received an email about it, while another called for Malott Commons, Scripps College’s dining hall, to close next.
However, according to Miguel Ruvalcaba, senior director of Dining Services at Harvey Mudd, all rumors are false and there are currently no cross-campus dining restrictions at the Hoch.
“All students from the Claremont Colleges are welcome during any meal,” he wrote in an email to TSL. “We encourage and maintain an inclusive environment for everyone.”
Still, according to Caroline Kelly PO ’27, this rumor arises every year, oftentimes fooling first-year students. She noted that it was short-lived this year.
“I heard it last year when I was a freshman,” Kelly said. “I think the rumors continue to pop up and people believe them for 24 hours and then move on to the next thing.”
Ryan Whisk PZ ‘28 said he initially believed the rumor after hearing about it through a friend, who likely found it on Fizz.
“I’m gluten-free, and the Hoch has a lot of gluten-free stuff,” Whisk said, reflecting on what it would mean for him if Harvey Mudd’s dining hall did restrict access. “I would be pretty sad about missing out on that.”
Ritika Aggarwal CM ’27 shared a similar concern.
“I’m vegetarian, so there is a little bit of struggle,” she said. “There are times in which there aren’t as many options available at the other dining halls.”
The Hoch isn’t the only dining hall rumored to have restrictions — Malott has also seen its fair share of rumors. According to Kelly, the most recent one was about creating more security around the dining hall’s outdoor seating area.
“I heard at the beginning of this year that Mallot was going to crack down on their security just because of the outdoor dining, as people can walk in and out multiple times [without swiping],” Kelly said. “But I’ve been, and nothing has changed, so that was just a new one.”
False rumors about restricting access to cross-campus dining worry students like Whisk, who try to take advantage of the consortium system and frequent dining halls across all campuses.
“The options [at other campuses] are just better,” he said.
Aggarwal added that being able to eat at other campuses is part of the appeal of studying at the Claremont Colleges.
“Being a part of the 5Cs, being a part of the consortium, means that you are allowed to have access to certain resources on campus,” she said. “That’s part of the reason why people opt to go to a consortium.”
While there have been restrictions on cross-campus dining in the past, they were in place only temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic, when dining halls became exclusive to their students to limit the risk of contamination. The restrictions have since been lifted.
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