It’s 11:52, and your instructor let you out of class late. You arrive at the Union to be faced with tremendous lines, but Panda Express is calling. You recieve your food at an almost alarming speed and tumble out of line, chopsticks in hand, thinking the worst part is over, only to find every single table is occupied. This is one of the only times I truly feel how much our university has grown. 
The first time I walked through the Union and found absolutely zero empty tables, I was surprised; but now, it happens almost daily. Don’t get me wrong, I love that so many people are coming to Mississippi State University. I just want to be able to get my food and take it somewhere in the immediate vicinity to eat it without using too much brainpower.
The Dawg House seems to be a popular place to go when faced with no place. I’ve used it myself at times, and it was way too much pressure for me. I’m clumsy and it’s only a matter of time before I spill something on the nice carpet and then the guy who stalks around refilling napkins and making sure we aren’t all slobs hates me forever. Also the Dawg House can get surprisingly loud, though people in there don’t talk to one another because the TVs in there actually have audio. This causes a problem for my ADHD when I’m trying to read that article I fell asleep reading last night before my next class.
Eating outside is also a popular option, one that I especially like because spilling Chick-Fil-A sauce on the ground is perfectly acceptable. 
The problem I have with this set-up is no matter how wonderful the weather is in Starkville, there is always a wind. One which invariably blows at the most important part of my homework, making eating my lunch at the same time impossible.
But more than the troubles I have with coordination, I just don’t want to have to leave the Union if I don’t want to. I like the Union, with its loud chatter and wide range of people, and I enjoy my time spent there. I think there’s a simple solution to this problem. 
I’ve noticed the majority of people eating lunch in the Union are alone, but the majority of the tables are made for four or more people. Odds are, if you’re not a freshman and haven’t orchestrated an elaborate meet-up via group.me, you’re eating lunch alone. 
Now, I remember my freshman days, frantically texting all my friends to find someone to eat lunch with me because I didn’t want to be seen eating alone. Since then, I’ve come to care a lot less, realizing at supper my friends will have much more to talk about since they will have done more than sleep and go to a few classes since I last saw them and be infinitely lazier and put off homework until the tiny breaks I have during the day. 
I have embraced the solitary eating lifestyle, but the tables at the Union have yet to accommodate me. I feel bad taking up an entire table for four just for myself, but that won’t keep me from doing it anyway. 
 
And those three imaginary friends I have, which the powers that be probably factored into the Union’s capacity, no longer have a place to sit. 
A corollary to this problem of wasteful seating is the situation where I’ve actually scored a seat in the Union and am trying to finish Act V of Hamlet while scarfing down chicken nuggets, when a friend stops by to say hello. For the first few minutes, I’m glad to catch up.
 But then, she notices my three extra seats. I see the gears turning in her head. One person taking up an entire table is ridiculous, she thinks. So she sits down. And I fail the quiz on Hamlet. And all of this could have been avoided if the Union had smaller tables.