Dining is an aspect of dorming that has been dramatically altered by the pandemic. The once communal and open experience of the dining hall has turned into a more grab n’ go attitude and due to the pandemic there has been an increased focus on alternate dining. Dining on campus varies mostly in relation to residence hall with these experiences split into three separate groups: North Campus, residences with a kitchen, and residences without a kitchen.
North Campus consists of Peabody and Bowditch Hall, which used to be served by North Dining. In response to the closing to the closing of North Dining there are different food trucks present on the campus quad 10am to 2pm which alternate sporadically. Marsh Dining remains a present option about a 10 minute walk away. The walk can be inconvenient in inclement weather and late night however Sodexo offers late night delivery. The quality of the food delivered is spotty so many residents end up relying on “UberEats” and other food delivery platforms to supplement the provided dining experience.
Residences without a kitchen are Viking and Marsh Hall. Marsh and Viking are relatively close to Marsh Dining with only a 5 minute walk maximum separating the two. This closeness offers the opportunity for quick trips and dining hall supply runs which the school facilities in the background with school provided branded tote bags and lunchboxes.
Residences with a kitchen include Bates and Atlantic Hall. Bates is located in South Campus and detached from the majority of campus while Atlantic Hall is located in Central Campus parallel to Marsh. Although these residences have a kitchen, residents are offered a limited amount of meal swipes and can still be signed into Marsh Dining. Students grocery shop in the area and are expected to mostly use their kitchens to cook.
We’ve seen what dining looked like and continues to look like but what can it look like in the future? While dining has dramatically changed some things unfortunately stay the same. Students are not actually learning “how” to eat but instead routinely fed unhealthy food, everything is up in the air except the fact the only thing you can consistently eat are a burger and fries. If dining can adapt and accommodate to the pandemic what stops it from doing the same to student needs. What stops the food we eat from being healthy and good for our development? What is student health like?
