Members eye dining hall improvements
By ERIN LaRUFFA
Associate News Editor
At its meeting Wednesday night, the Student Senate discussed dining hall issues and possible improvements to Notre Dame's meal plan system.
Several senators will be meeting with a representative from Food Services to discuss dining hall issues, according to Alumni senator Matt LaFratta. At that meeting senators will bring up many of the topics discussed on Wednesday.
Extending North Dining Hall's hours is one subject senators will bring up, LaFratta added. Stanford senator Aldo Tesi said that other improvements related to North will also be discussed.
How students are allowed to use meals on their meal plans is another issue senators plan to address.
"[Food Services] restricts you now to having meals at certain times during the day," said LaFratta.
Instead, some senators would like students to be able to use three meals a day, but at any time they wish.
"You could go eat dinner three times if you want to, if you're that hungry," LaFratta said. He added that he would like students have the option of eating a meal in the dining hall and then getting Grab and Go during the same meal period.
Morrissey senator Padraic McDermott suggested allowing students to use one of their weekly meals if they were taking a guest without a meal plan to the dining hall.
However, off-campus senator Matthew Smith pointed out that students can already use Flex Points to buy meals for their guests.
A major limitation to changing meal plans is price, according to Tesi.
"They plan on people eating 17 or 18 meals a week on the 21 meal plan," he said, adding that significant changes to the structure of meal plans could raise the price.
In other senate news:
u The Senate voted unanimously to confirm Nick Williams, vice president of the Class of 2004, as the sophomore advisor to the freshman class council.
u Student Activities director Brian Coughlin announced that after seeing Notre Dame's collection last Saturday, high schools in the Fort Worth, Texas area have decided to collect money for victims of the World Trade Center attack at their football games.
Student body president Brooke Norton added that she received a call from someone at Arizona State University, which is currently considering a collection similar to Notre Dame's at its football game on Saturday.
u Walsh senator Jeanine Valles said that the senate's University affairs committee will be looking at transportation issues, particularly in relation to vehicles available through the Center for Social Concerns (CSC).
The vans currently available through the CSC are being used so extensively, Valles said; that they are often all booked at certain times.
"Notre Dame really encourages students to branch out and get involved in the community, but getting access to vehicles is becoming a problem," said Valles.
u Student discount cards will be available beginning on Oct. 9, according to Jonathan Jorissen, chief of staff in the office of the student body president. Cards will be free of charge, and will entitle students to discounts at local businesses, including Papa John's, Fun Tan and Molly McGuire's. Student government will be distributing the cards at the dining halls and in LaFortune.
u At the next Board of Trustees meeting, the office of the president has decided to address the issue of students moving off campus, Jorissen said. Before presenting the issue, however, student government will conduct research on the topic.
"We're going to investigate the paradox of Notre Dame wanting people to remain on campus but needing them to move off because of housing space," said Jorissen.
Contact Erin LaRuffa at
elaruffa@nd.edu
All News Stories for Thursday, September 27, 2001
