Open dining hall for all at Stabler Arena

In an attempt to increase attendance and provide greater convenience, all Lehigh students now have the opportunity to use meal swipes at weekday men’s and women’s basketball games at Stabler Arena, expanding a program previously only available to student athletes.

The program was launched in its initial form to student athletes to reduce congestion in dining halls at the start of the 2023 spring semester. On Nov. 28, the gates were opened for the rest of the student body during the women’s basketball game against Drexel.

Since the closing of the University Center for renovations, Rathbone Hall has been the only traditional dining hall open to all of Lehigh’s students. Ryan Dilts, the athletic department’s assistant director of sales and marketing, referenced the long lines this caused when discussing the allure of using meal swipes at games.

“It’s like an extra bonus to come to the game,” Dilts said. “We know students love their food, it’s a big motivation to get them to come out.”

So far, Lehigh men’s basketball is on pace for similar attendance numbers compared to last season, only up 2% from the previous year, averaging 927 fans per game. The team was previously on pace for a 14% drop until a crowd of almost 2,000 showed up to the game against Lafayette on Feb. 10.

David Joseph, the executive director of Lehigh’s dining, housing and conference services, said that because students have to travel to Goodman Campus to make it to games, the ability to use meal swipes there creates a more accessible option for students.

“If you’re interested in seeing the game, you don’t have to rush to eat over there,” Joseph said. “You can come here, sit, relax upstairs, have dinner and then go into the stands to watch.”

Joseph said the university might consider additional expansions of the dining options at Stabler if they prove successful, but they must consider the limitations on how many people can be served in a given period of time.

If a student wants to use a meal swipe at a game, they are required to fill out a Google form, which is sent to students on the athletic department’s email list. 

Rich Haas, Lehigh Athletics’ director of sales and marketing, said that the student athletes who eat at Stabler Arena are signed up a week or more in advance. 

On the other hand, non-athlete students who wish to eat at basketball games can sign up as late as the day of the game, provided they are within the first 50 students to do so, not counting the pre-registered athletes.

Once at the arena, students can head to the concourse above the main entrance to redeem their meal swipes. Students are then able to pick from various food items like at a traditional dining hall.

While the program is designed to be marketed at non-athletes, during the Feb. 7 men’s basketball game against Army, none of the students who ate  from the meal swipe program a half-hour before the game were not student-athletes.

One of the student-athletes eating on the concourse before the Army game was junior Lillian Mauger, a member of the Lehigh women’s track and field team.

Mauger said that sometimes while she is eating at the arena after track practices she watches the basketball games that are going on. She also mentioned how the option to eat at Goodman Campus through the dining program at Stabler helps her save time throughout her day.

“It’s super quick,” Mauger said. “That’s good when you’re getting out of a workout, you’re dead and you’re really hungry.”

Dilts said that he believes having student athletes eat in the building makes them more inclined to stay and support their fellow athletes during basketball games.

Therefore, allowing the rest of the student body to do so was the logical next step.

“We already do the student athletes, they get to have an option to come here to get their dinner,” Dilts said. “It’s just an easy add-on to have the students have that option as well.”