Smith College Dining Services made changes in the dining system for the Fall 2021 semester, both as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to the general needs of students.
According to Dining Services’ website, Chase/Duckett, Cutter/Ziskind, Emerson, King/Scales, Lamont, Tyler, Comstock/Wilder, Emerson, and Dawes (For Gluten-Free students) are open for dining in different capacities during the Fall 2021 semester.
The most noticeable change for students is the absence of the vegan and vegetarian dining hall: Northrop/Gillett. The Sophian contacted Dining Services Director, Andrew Cox, who explained, “we had outgrown the space. Pre-pandemic, the popularity made access into Gillett at lunch a challenge and far from physically distant.” He pointed out that Dining Services is currently working on “(improving and increasing) Vegan options at all locations on campus.”
Still, vegetarian and vegan students are worried about dining options for the upcoming semester. Katherine Heyman, a vegetarian student, said, “It’ll be a loss to not have one dining hall where all of the options are available to us, every night.” She said that in previous years, “there would be something vegetarian to eat at the other dining halls, sometimes those offerings would not be nearly as substantive as the dishes containing meat.”
Dining services chefs are working with Forward Food and the US Humane Society to provide “more universal access to plant based food,” said Cox. Cox also said that Dining Services is increasing other dietary accommodations like “the exclusive use of Halal meats at Lamont, in addition to Cutter.”
Along with Northrop/Gillett, the Hubbard dining hall also closed its doors for that Fall 2021 semester.
Meal hours have also significantly changed. Cox said, “We heard the need for longer hours, more accommodations and more flexibility. Chase will be grab-and-go all day long. Lunches and dinner have all been extended 30 minutes.”
Grubhub, which was used at all dining locations during the Spring 2021 semester, “has been great for student customization but not customer throughput,” said Cox. Compass Cafe, Campus Center Cafe, Kosher kitchen, and Lamont will all use Grubhub this fall. The rest of the dining halls will be buffet or grab-and-go. Grubhub can be reinstated at all locations “to further distance students” should the COVID-19 situation worsen.
Smith Dining Services also plans on increasing accessibility at the retail dining locations, the Campus Center Cafe and Compass Cafe. Cox said that “retail options have been underutilized and often excluded students without disposable income. We’re hoping to reduce that inequity by offering students the ability to use their meal plan at select meals.”
The Campus Center Cafe will offer board plan breakfasts on weekdays and the Compass Cafe will offer lunch daily. From 7:00pm to 10:30pm the Campus Center Cafe will accept “meal equivalency swipes.” Student dining dollars have also been increased from $25 a year to $100 a year.
In order to be “cognizant of the local and federal health and safety guidance and balance that with a better student experience” Cox stated that dining services is taking recommendations received from House Presidents’ Association (HPA) representatives and “information that was gathered by the Residential Experience Working Group.”
