One night during Fall Break I decided to treat myself to a carton of Ben & Jerry’s from the corner store near my house. When I returned, my mom pointed out that eating ice cream must be a rare treat for me with my meal plan at Conn. “Of course not!” I responded, “There’s always ice cream available in the dining hall. We even have a sundae bar every Sunday.”

Sunday Sundae refers to the ice-cream sundae bar that’s part of every Sunday dinner at Harris, our main dining hall. Every Sunday evening the dining staff at Harris lays out a table usually with six flavors of ice cream, hot fudge,  caramel and assorted toppings in the center of the main room. As the bar is self-serve, everyone is free to create any sundae from the options available. I’ve made plenty of sundaes with three ice cream flavors, four toppings and fudge, and I’ve also made plenty that are just vanilla ice cream and fudge. Chris Manfredi, general manager of board plan at the College, estimates that as many as 700 students take part each week.

Sunday Sundae has been a part of my life at Conn ever since my student advisers told me about it at Orientation. I typically eat dinner between 6 and 8 p.m. on Sundays, and I know there’s usually a significant line from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. as the 6-o’clock rush gets dessert, but otherwise the ice cream line is usually a quick wait.

In my first year at Conn, I took a sundae almost every week, except during Orientation when I’d forgotten about what my adviser told me. More recently,  as I learn to adopt healthier eating habits, it’s become more of a treat. At this point, whether I make a sundae depends on my mood Some of my friends religiously make sundaes every week and some take advantage of the various sweets laid out as part of the bar, such as the gummy bears. The many options available at Sundae Sunday is what I appreciate most about it. It’s a sweet treat at the start of the week for everyone.