UPON RETURNING to school a week ago for my fourth year, a number of things immediately got on my nerves. I spent over $900 on textbooks for this semester. I found out printing would be restricted in ITC labs the very year my professors posted numerous articles on Toolkit. I ran into the giant ugly red wall that unfortunately is still in front of Alderman library. Then I walked into Newcomb Dining Hall.
Expecting to encounter disappointment, it was at this formerly sub-par dining establishment that I experienced my first surprise of the school year. The food was wonderful, and I finished everything on my plate. Thanks to new improvements at all three dining halls, experiences such as this one will become the rule rather than the exception. Dining Services should be applauded for finally listening to student suggestions and making outstanding strides in food preparation and service.
The most major changes so far have occurred at Newcomb Hall, with the renovation of the north dining room and the addition of a new salad bar. The spruced up room no longer features traditional serving lines, but rather a series of tables each featuring a different type of food. The selection includes a pasta table, a Mexican table, the grainery, a potatoes-based table, and the original pizza line. At each table, the food is prepared in front of customers, meaning that the dishes are cooked much closer to the time of service. The new salad bar looks essentially the same as the old one on the surface, but has been improved by adding an attendant to take care of the bar and help ensure fresh produce is added to the selection more often.
The few minor improvements to some counters at O'Hill and Runk dining halls are less noticeable. According to Ed Gutauskas, Director of Dining Services, Newcomb was the location most in need of improvement. O'Hill is set to be replaced by January 2005, and Runk, the newest of the three dining halls, is the least trafficked and least in need of repairs.
Thankfully, Dining Services not only stepped up the quality and quantity of its offerings in dining halls, but also made dining hours more accessible to students. Dinner at all three dining halls now runs until 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. The elimination of after hours at O'Hill Dining Hall brings with it the extension of hours at the Treehouse and the Castle. Now the Treehouse will be open nightly until 1 a.m., and the Castle will operate until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday to satisfy late-night cravings.
The most amazing thing about all of these changes is that they came with relatively little strain on students' pocketbooks. This year marked a 2.9 percent average increase in the cost of meal plans. But according to Gutauskas, the slightly higher cost covers the increase in food and labor expenses and did not go toward funding the summer improvement projects. Even though it may appear that Newcomb dining hall hired many additional staff this school year, their ranks only increased by a few employees. Now cooks simply are more visible, as they were moved out of the kitchen and into the front.
Although Gutauskas has been trying to make these improvements for the past six years, this project didn't really get rolling until last year, with construction beginning toward the end of last spring semester. The new Newcomb dining hall facilities were unveiled in early July during new student orientation, and the response since then only has been positive. Upperclassmen should be impressed with the changes, not because the dining halls are now the equivalent of a five-star restaurant by any means, but because the food and service is strides above where it used to be. It says a lot if first years that weren't around for Dining Services' darker days still find the new set-up appealing and the food appetizing.
It is ironic that at a time of some of the worst budget cuts in the University's recent history, the dining halls are the one area helping enhance the quality of student life. The new system works in accord with student needs. "The students wanted this kind of food, this kind of service. We acted in response to that," Gutauskas said. And as Dining Services has proven, small, cost effective alterations can go a long way.
Many other departments at the University could stand to learn a lesson from Dining Services: Take student suggestions seriously. Granted, as college students, we may not understand all the detailed inner workings of a state-funded university bureaucracy. Still, our suggestions for improving student life while dealing with the budget crisis should be given serious attention. After all, we are the reason why the University exists and keeps operating.
So, as you wait around for the faculty hiring freeze to end or Alderman library to return to its normal hours of operation, go to Newcomb dining hall and eat a quesadilla. You won't be disappointed.
(Stephanie Batten's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at sbatten@cavalierdaily.com)
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