Dining Services at the U always strives to improve and adhere to students’ needs regarding meal plans. Around campus, dining services run tables that offer free food or drinks, for example, for filling out a dining survey.
Students around campus voiced their concerns about what they would like to see in the dining halls around campus. These concerns included what foods they’d like to see and more nutrition facts about what they are being served.
Giovanni Provenzano, a philosophy major and RA at Gateway Heights, usually eats at the PHC on the upper campus and said he would like more nutritional information on the U’s dining options.
“I’d like more clarity on some of the protein intakes and calories,” he said. “I looked on their dining campus website, and I could not find any nutrition facts for the fried chicken sandwich they have.”
Provenzano added he would like to see more hot vegetables instead of the cold options provided in the dining hall.
Ashley Olivas-Peña, a freshman medical lab science student, enjoys going mostly to Kahlert and the Honors Market. She said most options on campus were healthy, but wants there to be a broader array of dining options.
“I would like to see more buffet-style dining on campus,” Olivas-Peña said. “I also wish there was more diversity in food on campus.”
Students also discussed how they want the dining halls to have later hours and be open longer. The latest food services open are the markets, such as Miller Cafe in Lassonde and the Honors Market at Honors Housing, which are open until 10 p.m.
“I think my main issue with Kahlert dining hall is that it closes at 8 p.m.,” Alison Farr, a pre-nursing student, said. “By the time I get out of class and finish work, it’s already closed.”
Though the markets within a few of the housing buildings are convenient and open later than the dining halls, students can feel as though they have to eat there or fend for themselves because there isn’t as much food being freshly prepared.
Farr also said getting food from the markets was more expensive than getting it from the dining hall. When eating at the PHC or Kahlert, you swipe your UCard once, and then you can get as much food as you want while you’re still in the dining hall area.
At the markets, “everything is packaged, so you pay individually for everything,” Farr said.
Some students feel they could get more out of their meal plans if the dining halls were open later in the night, as busy college schedules can conflict with when a typical mealtime would be.
According to an article from @theU, the university thinks student opinions are critical to dining services at the U so that students feel that they get the most out of their meal plan.
Students are required to have a meal plan when they live in Chapel Glen, Gateway Heights, Officers Circle, Kahlert Village, Sage Point and Impact & Prosperity Epicenter, as are Lassonde residents in singles and doubles.
