CDS works to accommodate enrollment increase

Dining halls are expanding options while Rollins is out of service.

By Rachel Allred

Published Feb. 26, 2010

MU has faced record enrollment two of the last three years, and students have started to notice space tightening where they live, eat and go to class. In this second part of a four-part series, The Maneater focuses on dining halls and what the university has done to accommodate the growing student population.

Waiting in long lines, bumping into people and having difficulty finding a seat is typical when going to Eva J's and other campus dining halls to eat lunch.

Freshman Caitlin Starke said she's waited in line for 30 minutes to get food, and sometimes she doesn't get the food she wants.

"It's more of an annoyance," Starke said. "If I see that a line's long, I just won't eat it. So maybe instead of getting grilled chicken, I'll get pasta because the line is shorter."

Starke said after she receives her food, she sometimes has to circle the dining hall to find an open seat.

MU's increased number of students eating at dining halls has compelled Campus Dining Services to make changes to better accommodate the number of patrons, and student groups have explored potential solutions, including rolling hours and webcams to show how crowded a place is at any given time.

Four all-you-care-to-eat locations and five take-out shops are available to students this semester. Campus Dining Services Marketing Specialist Andrew Lough said adjustments have been made to those dining halls to make up for the Rollins dining hall being closed for renovation this semester.

"We're expanding some options this semester, particularly with Rollins being closed," Lough said. "We've added some tables in a few places to accommodate for that. We're also offering some expanded take-out options through Eva J's."

Take-out options have been beneficial to students, especially during the lunch rush hour, Lough said.

"That's been pretty well-received," Lough said. "It's a really good option for students who are in a hurry and don't want to fight the crowds. The Emporium is also open over lunch. They've added pizza by the slice and other items to make it a more viable lunch instead of just a place to get snacks."

Lough said campus dining locations have been able to handle the growth of the student population, and CDS tries to plan ahead when building and renovating dining halls.

"We try to stay ahead of the curve so we're not always right at our max capacity," Lough said. "We've got a little bit of buffer built in, which has turned out to be really good because enrollment has exceeded expectations."

Despite the buffer, students often face crowds and long lines. Lough said dining halls are most crowded between 11:50 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. The newest dining hall, Plaza 900, experiences the most traffic, which is fitting because it has the highest max capacity and most square footage, Lough said. Plaza serves about 2,600 students per weekday during the spring semester.

Starke and Hannah Bauer said they're often stuck in crowds when they go to eat at the Pavilion at Dobbs dining hall. Starke and Bauer usually eat lunch at 11 a.m. and dinner at 5 p.m.

"It's usually crowded because those are the peak hours," Bauer said.

To compensate for the amount of work that has to be done to serve the growing student population, CDS has about 185 full-time employees and 520 student employees.

"Both of those numbers are higher than they have been the last few years," Lough said. "We rely heavily on student labor."

Lough said opening the second phase of the student center is expected to ease some of the strain and congestion because it will offer more retail dining options.

Longer hours are also being considered for some of the dining halls. Lough said it is difficult to keep some dining halls open late because they are located inside residence halls, which lock at 11 p.m.

When renovations are complete, Rollins will have the ability to stay open later due to an alternate entrance.

"One of the things students can look forward to when Rollins opens back up is the potential of extended hours," Lough said. "Part of the renovation includes an exterior entrance."

Bauer said it seems CDS is trying to ease the congestion, and future developments would make things more convenient.

"I think they're kind of already addressing the problem with building the new Brady Commons," Bauer said. "The new places to eat will help out a lot. It will be nice to have more fast food on campus, and older students could just go there."

Lough said the increased number of dining hall patrons creates a positive dynamic of upper and underclassmen.

"We've seen an increase in students who live off campus dining in resident locations, which we're very happy to see," Lough said. "It does create an extra strain on some of our systems."