Talking Stick - November/December 2008 - 31

Asking for students’ opinions about what they would like to see in a dining hall is not unique to UIUC and is often part of the first step of a renovation, since students are the customers. At the University of California in Santa Cruz, the renovation of Cowell Hall, which opens in April 2009, is being aided by a committee of students and administration, who have given input at all levels, from concepts to layouts to construction. The renovation of Centennial Hall at the University of Denver in Colorado, completed in August of 2007, was also based in part on the help of student focus returning students were impressed by the hall, “the incoming freshmen were expecting it,” says Ahmed. “They are already exposed to that level of service and facilities.” As a reflection of the diversified tastes of college students, there is increased variety in the dining hall food selections. UIUC’s new dining center includes several ethnic food stations, such as La Avenida Parilla (the Avenue Grill), which features burritos, quesadillas, and other Latin dishes; the Sky Garden station, which offers customized stir-fry dishes, crab Rangoon, and other Asian cuisine; the Abbondante (“Abundance”) Two new food stations beam with modern lighting and design in the Pennsylvania Avenue Dining Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. groups. “One resident said she likes to study in the kitchen area at home, so we added a 24-hour study area,” says Mike Furno, associate director of housing and residential education. “Other residents said they liked group study, so we added an area to accommodate that.” At Rensselaer, Sodexo worked with the student government to get student feedback and to share proposals. Sodexo strongly advocates using student input to help shape renovation plans and in fact has a student board of directors representing a diverse group of colleges and universities. “They actually tell us what they like and don’t like and drive the decision that we make and how we communicate with customers,” says Fusco. The University of Akron in Ohio worked with their residence hall council when renovating the main Robertson Dining Hall, called “Rob’s Café,” which opened in August 2007. As a result, the hall now includes an Internet station with food-resistant keyboard and flat screen televisions that “wouldn’t have been considered a year ago,” comments Zia Ahmed, director of dining services. However, as much as the station, with Italian specialties like made-to-order brickoven-baked pizzas and fresh pasta; Arugulas, which offers vegetarian and vegan selections, along with raw vegetables, cooked meats, and hot broth for students to create their own soups; and a station called Mela (“May-la”), which will offer gourmet coffee drinks and exotic teas. The Russell Sage Dining Hall at Rensselaer now includes an upscale deli and grill, a faux wood-fire oven, a soup and salad bar, and a popular chef called “Tofu Tim” known for his vegetarian entrees. Fusco believes that one of the favorite features is a new station called “My Kitchen”; “We may do crêpes Suzette one day, virgin Bloody Marys the next day, or have Tofu Tim teach a cooking class. We’re going to do something out of the box every day.” Cowell Dining Hall at UC-Santa Cruz is also expanding its variety to include a large pizza oven, a Mongolian grill, and a full-scale sushi station. “Stations can change with trends; they are flexible,” says Scott Berlin, director of dining and hospitality services. “They offer more variety, are spread out more conveniently, and are more accessible.” November + December 2008 31
Talking Stick - November/December 2008

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