Do you have a busy schedule in which you do not have time to eat between classes?

Some UC students eat during class because of scheduling conflicts or medical concerns such as diabetes.

Senior Crystal Hayner occasionally eats during her morning classes. She notices some students doing the same thing in certain classes.

“This allows students to eat when they usually never have a chance to,” Hayner said. “I do not find many students doing this, but they usually have snacks and not meals.”

Some UC students said they have back-to-back classes which does not allow much time for lunch.

Sophomore Kyle Van Winkler does not care if students eat in class.

“I think students eat in class mostly because they do not have time between classes or before classes to eat,” Van Winkler said.

Like Van Winkler, senior Daniel Alfeo can understand why students eat in class. He noticed that sometimes students get annoyed with the types of foods other students eat.

“If they bring a snack that is loud or has a strong smell, it can sometimes cause a distraction during the lecture,” Alfeo said.

Alfeo never eats in class unless a professor brings food for everybody. Some of his past professors and classmates have brought food to class.

“I can’t say no to some free food that my professors or classmates bring,” he said.

Some professors do not mind if students eat in class. However, a few of them have restrictions on what foods students can bring.

Suzanne Richardson, assistant professor of creative nonfiction, allows students to eat during class if the snacks are not distracting.

“They are only allowed to have foods that are not loud or aromatic,” Richardson said.

Richardson has had students with medical concerns that require them to eat in class.

“Over the years, I have had athletes and folks with blood sugar monitoring needs let me know they need to eat,” Richardson said. “I have allowed it as long as they follow the crunchy/smelly rule.”

Geology professor Adam Schoonmaker does not have a problem with students eating food in class. He realizes that students are on the go and have limited time.

“I would rather they eat than be distracted by hunger,” Schoonmaker said. “I never get distracted with students eating during class, but it is a possibility that it might distract other students.”

Many professors that do allow students to eat in class realize what it is like to have a tight schedule, even though sometimes food can be distracting to other students in the room. However, some professors will only allow certain sizes and kinds of foods in class.

Jeffrey Procopio, a mathematics professor and tutor, usually allows students to eat in class and labs.

“I do typically allow students to eat something small during labs,” Procopio said. “Just as long as what it is that they are doing while eating does not interfere with the conduction of the experiment and there is no risk of contamination.”

Alfeo has some advice for bringing food to eat in class to avoid distraction.

“I would recommend to students that they try to sit in the back or by the window,” Alfeo said. “Avoiding crinkly bags of chips which cause a lot of noise could also be helpful to other students.”