On Oct. 2, the Oakland University Student Congress (OUSC) hosted a Campus Dining Town Hall meeting on Oct. 2 in the Habitat in light of recent controversies regarding dining options on campus.
The discussion featured panelists Robert King, senior director of University Housing; Chris Reed, director of the Oakland Center; Bella Levitt, director of the Golden Grizzlies Pantry; Evol Gazzarato, resident district manager of OU Eats; Fay Hansen, director of the Student Organic Farm; and Jacqui Moore, marketing manager of OU Eats.
“[We held this] because we were hearing about the dining hall hour change, we were trying to think of ways to engage students and to show administration that this is something that students care about,” OUSC President Murryum Farooqi said. “That’s why we had people submitting questions, testimonials…that’s why we had this. To create evidence of what real students care about.”
Among the topics discussed was the rationale behind a meal swipe plan instead of charging students for each meal, the possibility of adding more meal plan options with different ratios of declining dollars to meal swipes and the quality and healthiness of the food options available on campus.
However, the most mentioned topic was the dining hours at Hillcrest Dining Hall. Currently, the dining hall operates under reduced hours that do not allow students to eat breakfast or dinner at the location.
Student Kaeli Lowe said this poses an issue for many students due to their majors and class schedules.
“Sometimes, we don’t have the chance to walk over to Vandenberg and to walk back, especially for dinner,” Lowe said. “If we only have 30 minutes between our classes, I can’t necessarily make the walk to Vandenberg and back and have a meal, so I’m kind of forced to use my declining points.”
“We’re definitely trying to understand the class schedule. I’ve heard from a lot of students that they have later classes,” Gazzarato said. “That’s definitely something we have to take into consideration going forward.”
Gazzarato cited that in the 2023-2024 academic year, the number of students living on campus is still down approximately 1,000 since pre-pandemic.
King said illustrating the benefits of living at OU will be the key to addressing the on-campus housing issue and, by association, the current lack of demand for on-campus dining.
“The biggest thing for housing is we have to better show the value of living on campus. We have to be transparent about how students perform academically,” King said. “This year, we did bring in a significantly bigger first-year class. The idea for us is to retain these students.”
Gazzarato said OU Eats is working towards readjusting the hours but it will take time to “pivot.”
“We’re working towards it. When the decision was made for what the hours were going to be…we spent the entire summer [planning] that. So to turn around and pivot very quickly — it takes some time,” Gazzarato said.
“We can’t just all of a sudden change the hours to whatever that might be, so we’re taking staffing and menu planning and all that stuff into consideration. We’re working hard to get to that point. Unfortunately, I don’t have a solid time [for when the hours will change].”
King said he hopes that the two-way conversation between students and the dining hall staff will continue.
“This year is one of those years that give us an opportunity to really think about how dining should be on campus going forward,” King said. “Spaces like this and opportunities to collaborate with the folks at the table are where we have to start moving forward.
“I’m always happy to sit down and talk with students and to further the conversation.”
Students are encouraged to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns. Immediate dining on campus needs can be submitted through Text 2 Solve, posted around the dining halls. Students can also contact at [email protected] or [email protected].
Additionally, the fall survey for dining on campus went live on Oct. 1. Students are encouraged to fill out the form online with their feedback. The link is available on OU Eats’ Instagram.
