Hood College Dining Gets a Makeover!
By: Ethan Weidman
Every year, Hood College sets aside part of their budget to renovate part of the campus. This past summer, the administration turned its focus towards food, updating Coblentz Dining hall and the Blazer area.
“I think it was about time they needed to update it, because we need things to be more spread out with more students coming in here,” said Kay Wood, a worker in Coblentz.
The new renovations offer two new stations in the main dining hall, taking away the crowd of students who used to all go to the grill line in the back of the facility. These two stations alone offer pizza, a salad bar, a sandwich bar, and two show chefs who prepare individuals meals of the day.
The structure of the plan, the draw up by the design, and the reconstruction of Coblentz and the Blazer area were all overseen by Director of Auxiliary, Lovetta Corson-Morgon.
“We hear that the students are saying they want something different and something more efficient, so we try to give them what they ask for! This project was in the works for quite awhile until we could get it down to the exact way we wanted it,” Corson-Morgon said.
When students came back for the fall semester of 2012, there was a general excitement in the air surrounding the brand new facility.
Not only was there a newly finished facility, but they also updated the menu, adding in new dishes, as seen on Campus Dish.
“It was like Christmas day when you see all the new presents that are under the tree. You walk into the room and BAM it’s magical. That’s how a lot of students felt about the dining hall,” said senior Elaheh Eghbal. “We wanted something new and they gave us that.”
To add to the changes of the food related area, the meal plan got an update. The old “unlimited” meal plan became replaced with a 19-swipe meal plan, allowing students to swipe as many times as they want for the day.
This idea was brought into the light during a hot topic senate meeting last academic year, where a student voiced their concern for wanting to swipe as many times as possible throughout the day. Aramark and other senior staff members were present and after discussing, changed the meal plans.
Not only is Coblentz where students eat, but it also is the home to traditions on campus. Each semester there is a Late Night Breakfast, which brings the campus together and administration and professors serve the students food.
It is also home of the Strawberry Breakfast, a tradition started in 1928. This breakfast takes place the morning of Commencement and is available to only graduating seniors and their families.
In the Blazer area of the Whitaker Student Center, students came back to two new options.
Grille Works and Freshii’s were added to the venue. They both offer a different selection between Grille Works burgers and chicken fingers to Freshii’s freshly made salads and burritos, among other snacks.
A hungry customer waits for his meal at the new Grille Works
Open from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., the Blazer offers students another option from the meal plan. Students will often frequent this area as a pit stop on the way to class to pick up a snack.
However, one noticeable area that lacks in the Blazer since Grille Works and Freshii’s have taken over was the coffee.
The once prominent Java City is no longer an option in the Blazer’s menu. They once offered specialty coffees, smoothies and the every day cup of Joe.
Students, especially commuters, expressed their concern with this option gone. Many of them said that they needed the caffeine after waking up early and driving to campus.
It had been predicted by administration that they would possibly move the coffee shop into an open and unfrequented space in the library, but no plans have been set in stone for that move.
However, due to concern of no coffee, Freshii’s has now incorporated coffee and students can get a variety of types. With space on this campus a rising issue, the new Java City counterpart may be pushed on the back burner of projects the campus will see done.