Being the youngest child and raised with a do-it-yourself mentality, I have never been uncomfortable doing things on my own. If my car tire is low, I don’t look around for someone to fix it for me. Instead, I fill it myself. I did not choose to study abroad where my friends were going. Rather, I chose to go where I wanted. I see nothing embarrassing about doing something on your own. This is why I was shocked to find out that many people at Creighton are averse to eating alone in the dining halls. 

I love eating with my friends, but if I am in between classes and none of them are available, I am going to eat by myself. If I tell someone this, or someone sees me, I am often met with a pitied tone. “Oh, you had to eat by yourself?” “Cece, why don’t you come over and eat with us?” “Aw, you should’ve texted me!” Despite these comments, I never feel downcast about eating alone: it is simply convenient.  

Many people have no problem eating their packed lunch alone, or sitting by themselves to study, but for some reason the dining hall holds a sort of primitive environment where people think it is necessary to move in groups for survival. We need to stop assuming that people are lonely when they are eating alone. Sometimes, after three back-to-back classes, I want nothing more than to read my book and eat a Harper cookie. If I have an exam coming up, I would much rather study for it than eat with someone I am not very close to just to escape sitting alone. Eating by yourself in the dining hall is a completely normal, practical behavior, something no one should be afraid to do.