Dining Changes On Academic Campus
By Kathryn Prouse
In July, Simmons Residence Life sent an email out announcing they are making big changes to the dining areas on Academic Campus. The changes involve “Bistro 300” at Common Grounds; a new food station that will “feature fresh and healthy salad, bread bowls and rice bowls with multiple topping and dressing options and weekly specials.” In addition, there will be “an expanded soup station, freshly baked pastries and our new Starbucks freshly brewed coffee and gourmet coffee beverages, […] more self serve options and an ordering kiosk.” Meyers Cafe is also expanding its seating area, and adding flatbread pizzas. Being that the food options at Simmons are generally sparse, especially on Academic Campus, this email sounded like good news. The note to students continued with: “Fens Cafe will have a new grab-and-go area with more variety and options so that you can get in and out fast. The new hours of operation for the academic year will be Monday – Friday from 7:30 am to 2pm. Common Grounds and Meyers hours remain the same […] and both will have dinner hours during the week.”
This is where many students paused.
“7:30am to 2pm?” This was immediately met with shock and irritation by students. And, in typical Simmons fashion, students making Facebook posts reminding each other to remember to eat and take care of themselves.
Upon hearing about the schedule change, many students took to emailing the dining hall staff, though the staff has not sent any emails in response updating students on the early closing. Querby Janvier, class of 2019, had this to say about the changes: “I personally do not support The Fens closing at 2:00 pm everyday now. Despite the fact that Myers & Common Grounds will have ‘more options’ now, I’m almost certain those will not compare to The Fens. To be honest The Fens isn’t even that great to begin with but it’s the place I always eat the most. During my second year you could almost never catch me at Bartol because the food is almost always guaranteed to be nasty there, so I always scheduled my meals so I could eat all of them at The Fens before they closed. Now that will be impossible considering they are closing before the day has even really started going. Some people aren’t even out of class until 2:00, while others might not start class till after 2:00 pm.”
Other concerns include changes that will be made to the menus, as some students have gotten very accustomed to their go-to foods. Kate Howard, of the class of 2019, said, “I’m concerned with the new options because, as a picky eater, I often eat the same three or four items from the Fens with little change. Now, with the Fens closing so early, I’ll have to break out of my comfort zone to find acceptable food options. I’m hopeful that they will perhaps extend the dining hall hours in the Fens so that I can still get my lunch there after class.” Anyone who has waited in the never-ending line for the caprese panini – a common Fens Cafe staple – will probably agree with Kate’s statement.
It looks like this renovation will require some unexpected adjustments for all students, though how extreme those adjustments will have to be, we will have to wait and see.