Imagine a world without in-person conversations. Without being able to sit across from another person and talk to them without a screen between the two of you. Unfortunately, no one has to imagine this reality anymore. Out of all of the negative outcomes of the pandemic, the one that has had the biggest impact on the student body at Iowa State has been an increased state of isolation without the benefit of person to person relation.

This year, amongst many frustrating things, has brought the closing of Iowa State University's Conversations dining center for in-person service. Considering the present circumstances, this move made sense. However, this decision did not come without its downsides.

As a three year resident of the Richardson Court Area(RCA), I can personally attest to how Conversations supports community in RCA. Not having Conversations left a frustrating gap with no in-person continuous service and, for myself, caused RCA to feel more isolated from the rest of campus. Alongside this, ordering to-go from Conversations constantly does not support mental health well. While it sounded convenient, I found that not ordering to-go and instead eating at Seasons(though non-optimal) for that minimum ~15 minutes greatly helped my mood.

As students, we recognize that there are many factors being considered with the reopening of Conversations, but with the return to many more in-person classes it seems appropriate to re-open Conversations. This would make RCA feel much more home-like for the returning students and the many new students. In-person service at Conversations has played a large role in my time at Iowa State. I believe that reopening it would bolster community in RCA and could encourage students to return to on-campus housing in the future. Not to mention, Conversations previously hosted many guests. Sending those guests and all the students to a shortened list of dining centers would only serve to crowd them more. Many long-time students, especially those in RCA(obviously), would call Conversations the best dining center on campus. Sadly, this year's first year students have missed the incredible conversations experience and therefore cannot fully understand the hole that it leaves. Conversations should be given another opportunity to shine brightly again!