A shipment of electric carts that will replace the box truck used for Krishna Lunch arrived Friday at Krishna House.
Krishna House spokesperson Bob Cohen said that it had ordered electric carts from China prior to Feb. 23, when a Krishna Lunch box truck hit a student.
He said members shared discomfort toward driving such a large truck through campus.
“We wish they [the carts] had come a little sooner,” Cohen said. “This incident would never have happened.”
Cohen shared hopes that within a few weeks of trialing the electric carts, UF will lift the suspension on Krishna Lunch.
Krishna House has continued to sell lunch and is considering expanding its food services despite its suspension from campus March 1.
Krishna’s decision to do this has caused mixed reactions among students.
The University of Florida announced the suspension in response to a Krishna box truck hitting a student on a Buckman Drive crosswalk. This marks Krishna Lunch’s first suspension from campus since it started serving lunch at Plaza of the Americas in 1971.
UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldán Hernández confirmed the suspension.
The student was taken to the hospital with multiple broken bones. Florida law prevents anyone not involved in the incident from requesting traffic crash reports within 60 days after the crash. There is no information available to identify the student.
Cohen said the student is out of the intensive care unit and in a regular room now but that he does not know anything else.
Krishna Lunch announced the suspension on Instagram, saying it will provide updates as more information becomes available.
On March 2, one day after the suspension, Krishna Lunch posted on Instagram asking for followers to vote on the possibility of introducing a breakfast menu on top of the regular lunch menu. It also posted asking for followers to vote on potential extended hours to the regular Krishna Lunch hours, which are from 11a.m.- 2p.m.
Lunch is set at a suggested price of $6, but it is on a donation basis, meaning that anyone can eat for free. The purchase of one meal can stretch into multiple. Among people who buy lunch, going back for more food and bringing tupperware is common.
Cohen said many students rely on Krishna Lunch for multiple meals of the day and the house is trying to expand on its hours to stick with the Hare Krishna philosophy that no one should go hungry.
Krishna Lunch at Plaza of the Americas was established when Srila Prabhupada, founder of the Hare Krishna in the Western world, gave a speech at UF and shared this mission that Krishna House would stand by.
Still, the decision to promote a potential expansion of Krishna Lunch so soon after the incident led to varying opinions from UF students, most of them saying that Krishna Lunch should be laying low for some time rather than attempting growth.
Krishna House has also responded to the suspension by sending members to Plaza of the Americas to sing, holding a sign saying, “Prayers for healing.”
Cohen said Krishna House has received a host of questions from students, alumni and elected officials asking for information on what happened.
Minutes after the incident happened, student-centric social media sites like Yik Yak became inundated with rumors relating to it.
“If it was a hit-and-run, they [the police] would have arrested somebody,” Cohen said. “If it was a drunk driver, they would have arrested someone. It was an unfortunate accident.”
Cohen said the driver of the truck is in counseling and stayed two hours after the incident to speak with police.
Students have been quick to take sides.
Amanda Messina, 20, was a Krishna Lunch frequenter before the incident happened, saying she and her friends would purposely schedule their classes around Friday’s hours to eat together at Plaza of the Americas.
“Following the incident on campus, I’ve heard some interesting stuff that I hadn’t heard prior about Krishna Lunch, and that definitely made me take a step back.”
She says Krishna Lunch should not be allowed back on campus for the time being to teach Gainesville drivers a lesson.
“They [students] are going to cross the street without looking, and I have to be 10 times more aware than I would be driving in any other location.”
She also says UF should be held accountable for allowing big box trucks to be driving through campus. Recently, the truck involved in the incident has been parked in front of Krishna House.
“I bike past that truck every day,” Messina said. “There’s not a moment I don’t bike past that truck, and I don’t envision that girl getting hit by the truck.”
While some students are staunchly in favor of the suspension, others are counting the days until it is lifted.
Anna Poacelli, 20, found herself missing the ambience created by Krishna Lunch at Plaza of the Americas.
“It creates a lively vibe around the area,” Poacelli said. “It creates a community. Plaza is not the same.”
She said she understands why Krishna Lunch has been suspended but that it has been long enough.
“Please bring Krishna Lunch back,” Poacelli said. “I’m literally begging on my hands and knees.”
Other students, such as Jaiden Belmond, 22, are caught between sides.
“I was shocked but not surprised [by the incident],” Belmond said. “It's hard to come back from something like the accident. It's sad because krishna was the most accessible meal for so many students and faculty on campus.”
Messina, Poacelli and Belmond all expressed dissent toward Krishna Lunch’s attempts toward expansion into breakfast and longer hours.
“Reestablishing good rapport with the university and its students should have been the step before expanding to breakfast or sitting outside with folding chairs telling people to eat at the house instead,” said Belmond.
As of now, Krishna Lunch’s suspension from campus is indefinite. Krishna House has yet to hear more information on the subject.
“We would like to, when the campus is ready, meet with them to understand what’s going on,” said Cohen.