Library, Dining Halls Shift Times Because of COVID-19

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Curtis Lin

J. Willard Marriott Library in Salt Lake City, UT on Wednesday May 23, 2018.(Photo by Curtis Lin | Daily Utah Chronicle)

By Alexis Perno, News Writer

 

As students adjust to the on-campus life, dining halls such as Kahlert Village’s Urban Bytes and Lassonde Studios’ Miller Cafe have shifted meal service times to accommodate for the pandemic and try to slow the spread of COVID-19, and separate accommodations have been made for the Marriott Library as well. 

“I definitely have to change my day to day schedule around getting meals,” said undecided freshman Noah Jaussi. “I have to plan around classes a little differently now. I no longer get breakfast before class but after class because of when it opens and closes.”

Monday through Friday, Urban Bytes serves breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., lunch starts at 11:30 a.m. and is served until 2:30 p.m. and dinner is served from 5 to 8 p.m. On weekends, brunch is served at 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner is available from 5 to 8 p.m. Meals are not served in between these times for cleaning purposes.

Within Urban Bytes are several different food stations, such as 500 degrees — which typically serves pizza — and Carrots — a salad bar. 

Inside the Peterson Heritage Center, meals are served on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with closures in between meal periods for cleaning. The PHC has the same weekday closure times as Kahlert from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m. On weekends, the PHC serves meals between 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.

Miller Cafe, which typically is open 24/7, also has reduced hours this year. Made to order food is available on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m, and on weekends it is open from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. This includes grill options like burgers and deli options such as customizable salads and sandwiches. Pre-packaged items are available on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For the Honors Market inside Marriott Honors Community, food is available from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. It offers cooking ingredients and produce, as well as prepackaged sandwiches and salads. The Hive, located in the student union, is closed for the fall semester.

There is also no longer the option to dine in, with tables and chairs either blocked off or completely removed.

Students in non-cooking dorms are required to have a meal plan, and many students in places such as Sage Point and Chapel Glen heavily rely on them.

Freshman chemical engineering major Dalia Aguirre said there are barely any hours to eat in dining halls now.

“Me and my roommate both eat at way later times … I have to go to the grocery store more often and fast food places,” Aguirre said. 

Advance mobile ordering is available through an app called Boost, which allows users to schedule pickup times for meals at several dining halls on campus. To order ahead, download the Boost app, sign in with your Umail account and input the campus card as payment using your UID. 

The Marriott Library also adjusted hours along with taking other measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 such as limiting the amount of available computers and table space to ensure social distancing, and online reservations are required to use individual study rooms. 

For now, the Marriott Library is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. On Saturday, the library is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m and is closed on Sundays.

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@PernoAlexis