Rumors ran rampant around the St. Thomas student community for much of the summer about a possible reopening of Scooter’s this fall. But alas, the rumors were just rumors, and we had no such luck.

On Aug. 25, an email from the St. Thomas Newsroom was sent out to St. Thomas students that crushed many hopes and dreams.

“As St. Thomas’ Dining Services team is working tirelessly to prepare for the academic year, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant challenges: labor shortages, food and supply shortages, unpredictable deliveries and discontinued products,” the email read. “Given these challenges, Dining Services has made some difficult choices to temporarily close some dining locations and stations.”

One of these locations was, of course, Scooter’s.

For many St. Thomas students, the word “Scooter’s” brings up a lot of emotions and memories.

It makes them reminisce about simpler times before a global pandemic took over their lives. They think of chicken tenders, pizza, Kahoot trivia and Thursday Night Live.

I am one of those students.

The Newsroom’s email was suspicious after students received an email nine days earlier from Dining Services promising “many options that we weren’t able to offer last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In this email, Dining Services assured a return of many fan-favorite options within the dining halls, such as sticky rice, the waffle maker and bagel Wednesdays.

Despite those promises, here we are in our third consecutive semester without Scooter’s.

Without the restaurant as a late-night dining option, there are no places to get food on campus past 9 p.m. T’s extended their usual hours to 9 p.m. to better accommodate students, but that isn’t enough.

As a former student-athlete, sometimes Scooter’s was all we had.

I remember winter softball practices in the AARC’s fieldhouse would go from 6-8:30 p.m. at times, which meant that Scooter’s would have been the only dining option available to us.

As a campus that cares deeply about its athletes, it surprised me to see that the one dining location that was open past 10 p.m. has not reopened despite athletics resuming their pre-COVID schedules.

Reopening Scooter’s would also bring back many student jobs on campus that were lost due to the pandemic’s difficulties.

As a student who attended St. Thomas pre-pandemic, I remember the lively Scooter’s of the past and it saddens me to see Scooter’s so barren and empty every night. Long lines and loud chatter have been replaced by the occasional pool-playing group of friends.

Now, it seems like the hiatus is being extended further without much effort on St. Thomas’ part. I understand that food shortages and difficulty with deliveries made it necessary to close Scooter’s last school year, but working around some of these food shortage issues is definitely possible.

Urner Barry is a business publisher that provides readers with market information related to red meat, poultry, egg and seafood price trends.

According to the U.S. Food Farmer’s Report from the past week, “Urner Barry reports that frozen chicken wing inventory is at the lowest levels since 2012. Urner Barry also reports that fresh jumbo wings, jumbo tenders and boneless thigh meat prices continue to be at record highs.”

We know that chicken prices have risen tremendously throughout the pandemic, which was a major part of Scooter’s menu, but I don’t think that means that the restaurant should be closed for good.

Switching to a more beef-based menu or even adding more meatless options should be steps that Dining Services is willing to take for the on-campus landmark.

In terms of student-employment, Scooter’s was one of the few places on campus open into the late evenings where students could work besides the library and front desks around campus.

This allowed many whose schedules were too busy with classes during the daytime to work late shifts when their schedules were more open. Without Scooter’s, student jobs have become limited.

So, St. Thomas, I implore you to reopen Scooter’s. Not just for my sake, but for the sake of your students as well.

Reopening Scooters would be a beacon of hope for the St. Thomas community after three semesters of pandemic stress, anxiety and confusion. And yes, maybe that beacon of hope is a basket of chicken strips, fries and a Dr. Pepper.

Cam Kauffman can be reached at kauf8536@stthomas.edu.