Park Student Union runs out of food on opening day

The new Park Student Union sold out of food yesterday, three hours before closing time on its opening day.

Kathi Van Os, the dining services division manager, said the incident was due to the unexpected popularity of PSU.

"We sold out because we didn't anticipate the crowd," she said. "There is such a high interest level for this place."

Rebecca Burke, a dining services employee, said she was surprised by how many students showed up to eat at Park on its opening day.

"The entire day was just a rush of students. We didn't think there would be this many," she said.

Students who walked up to the gate expecting to buy dinner said they were frustrated that the union had closed.

Allison Davis, a molecular and cellular biology freshman, said, "They said they would be open until 9. Now I have to walk in the rain to the other student union."

Jessica Vogan, a psychology freshman, said she did not understand why the union would be open when some of the businesses weren't even finished.

"I think it's dumb that they opened PSU and most of the places aren't even open," she said.

In order to appease the students, the dining services offered complimentary drinks to students they turned away.

In addition, students could stay to enjoy a performance from the Arizona Jazz Academy.

Bryan Charney, an undeclared freshman, said didn't mind the lack of food.

"I don't really care," he said, sipping on soda. "I'm at least enjoying the music."

Despite the setback, Van Os said the union won't let students go hungry again.

"We doubled all of our orders for tomorrow," she said. "We intend to be open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m."

- Natasha Bhuyan