University Strives to Build Community Through Food

Upperclassmen were in for a shock when they walked into Bartlett and the South Campus dining hall for their first meal, as a reorganization had taken place during the summer. Food stations had been moved around, new menu items had been added, and new workers mingled with old ones in an environment that felt almost completely new.
 
All this resulted from the University’s deal with food service provider, Aramark. Months of surveys prior to the deal revealed that University students and staff not only wanted more appetizing food, but also greater flexibility in their meal plan and more options. A new alliancebetween the two began in August when the University decided that Aramark was the best food vendor equipped to meet expectations of quality and efficiency.
 
But aside from providing a fresher and more diverse selection of food, the University and Aramark have one other idea in mind:  strengthening the University community. By altering meal plans to include off-campus students and extending the use of Maroon dollars (previously known as flex dollars) to an additional 13 locations, the plan is to encourage students to further engage with one another and the University’s surroundings.
 
“We’re basically using food as an agent of building community,” explains Richard Mason, Executive Director of UChicago Dining. “The structure of payment options was creating inhibitors, but we wanted people to interact more with the campus. We knew we wanted a structure that was more flexible, and Aramark’s experience, knowledge, and ideas matched our needs the most.”
 
“Everything’s always a balance, and in this case the balance is in between providing quality food service and supporting students, faculty, and staff in their social goals.”
 
The University and Aramark are expected to roll out more changes as the academic year goes by, meaning that the University’s dining halls could shift in layout and food selection once again. While students’ attitude towards the current changes remains mixed, what’s left to see is whether or not the University succeeds in offering students their ideal dining experience. And part of that process, the University believes, is to create an interactive and socially enjoyable environment.
 
“A continuation of community is extremely important for students,” says Mason. “This is especially true for students who move off-campus because then you kind of question where your community really is, and what opportunities you have to interact with your campus. We want to preserve that community spirit, and we believe the current changes in student dining will help us accomplish that.”