Dining hall rules, meal plans shift changes
By ALISA SCHMITT
The Noble Family Dining Hall will include new meal plans and new hours this year.
The Carte Blanche plan allows for unlimited access into the dining hall and $10 in "Munch Money" per semester. The new plan also offers Option 14, a meal program for students who may not eat as often in the dining hall.
"Option 14 is a good change, because I don't eat scheduled meals, so it makes things a little easier," said freshman Courtney Knobloch.
Option 14 allows for 14 meals per week and $100 in "Munch Money," which can be used at The Crossings — Haggar College Center's snack bar — and at the dining hall. When students use the credit at the dining hall, they receive 25 percent off the normal selling price.
"Students wanted alternatives. One meal [plan] didn't work for everyone," Kevin Kirwan, director of dining services, said. "Option 14 gives the students a little more flexibility."
The former food plan, which is still available, consisted of 19 meals per week and $10 in "Munch Money."
A new sandwich bar unit was installed at The Crossings, making it similar to a Subway or Blimpie's restaurant. A hot food unit was also put in to offer homestyle-cooking to "Evening Express."
Although the dining hall is closed on weekdays from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., its weekend hours are extended. It now will open at 4:30 p.m. and close at 7 p.m.
Entrees in the dining hall will be available until 7 p.m. during the week. Evening Express hours were extended from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
The new changes are aimed to give the students more options and a little more buying power, Kirwan said.
Along with new additions come new rules. Students are now required to leave their backpacks on racks in the lobby before entering the dining hall. The purpose of this, Kirwan said, is to cut back on students "packing out" food from the dining hall.
"I can see if they had the room in there, but right now it makes things inconvenient to have bags lying all over the floor," sophomore Amanda Spica said about the new backpack rule.
The new rule changes were made by administrators and Food Services. Students now must enter and exit from the front of the dining hall because the back doors are newly equipped with alarms and can be used only as emergency exits.
All News Stories for Thursday, September 2, 1999
