*Disclaimer: This article is part of the Ionian’s April Fool’s issue and is meant solely to be a joke * Happy April Fool’s!

Iona announced on April 1 that by the start of next semester, all ovens in residence hall kitchens will be replaced with Easy-Bake Ovens.

The Easy-Bake Ovens will be enlarged to a traditional oven size for convenience. Additionally, the most popular Easy-Bake mixes will be provided free for the students. The provided mixes will include chocolate cookies, sugar cookies, chocolate cake and vanilla cake, along with savory options like cheese pizza. If students don’t like the provided options, the school will also be offering discounts to students for other mixes available at local stores. Many Gaels are excited about the big change.

“I always used to use Easy-Bake to make little cookies and cakes when I was younger, so it’s totally cool that they’re doing this,” sophomore Jarren Walker said. “The recipes are really easy to use and are super affordable.”

“At first, I was a bit skeptical about the whole situation,” junior Lucy McGoosey added. “Then I looked a little more into it and thought that it would be pretty convenient. I never was much of a good cook, so having something to simplify the process would make things easier!”

One does not have to be limited to the pre-prepped meals that Easy-Bake has to offer! The oven can also be used to cook regular meals. The Residence Hall Association wants to ensure that students use the new features that come with having Easy-Bake Ovens to the fullest.

“We are giving out little pamphlets with these easy dishes you could make with the new ovens,” Carl Hornet, head of RHA’s Easy-Bake implementation program, said. “We also have fun events coming up to encourage students to use the ovens, like Easy-Bake Brunch Day!”

The pros of having Easy-Bake Ovens instead of traditional ovens in the residence halls do not stop there. A lot of the staff at Iona are happy to see this change because it would encourage the students to spend less money eating out.

“I’m really happy that Easy-Bake Ovens are coming to Iona,” Jenna Tellus, a professor in the Finance department, said. “I see a lot of residents constantly eating out rather than staying in and cooking their meals. It’s a lot more inexpensive to cook rather than eat out all the time, so having these ovens would make the option of cooking their own meals much more desirable.”

Iona College is not the first to make this radical change. Many other colleges and universities are taking this step, such as Le Man College, Johnstone and Whales University, and Mer-Sea College. Many more institutions are excited to take this affordable step to make residential life more fun and inexpensive for students.