When students arrived on campus this year, their dining options were notably different. Changes included making the majority of stations self-service at the Dining Center, shortening the hours of the Grill at The Max by an hour, reducing off-campus students’ meal swipes from 10 to 7, and closing the Paramount Café for renovations.
“Our goal is to make sure dining on campus continues to be high-quality, varied, and responsive to student needs, while also being sustainable,” said Business Services in a written statement to The Beacon. “The changes this year are designed to give students flexibility and choice, such as self-serve options for those who prefer to customize their meals, and a reimagined Paramount Café space to look forward to.”
Some of the changes, which were announced to the Emerson Community on Aug. 7 in an email sent by Business Services, left many students feeling upset. Enrollment at the school remains down, and the college recently laid off 5% of their employees. These policy changes are presumably another money-saving decision.
“I understand the school’s under hard financial times, but this isn’t making anybody want to come here more,” said Otto Pressler, a junior visual media arts major, referring to the college’s decision to shorten The Max’s grill hours. “This isn’t helping the situation at all. This is just making the people that already go here less enthusiastic about a school that they’re already not that enthusiastic about.”
Along with closing the grill at the Max early, Business Services is also eliminating more than a dozen grill items from the Lion’s Den—like burgers, quesadillas, and chicken tenders—to make way for Griff’s Taqueria, a menu that offers burritos, bowls, and nachos. Some students expressed their frustration with the reduced menu.
“We already don’t have enough food sources, especially as I have a lot of sensitivities,” said Ell Nelson, a junior creative writing major. “I can’t go to the [Dining Center] because it’s just so overwhelming.”
The Dining Center is trained on how to be accessible to those with food allergies. Their website states: “The dining services team is well-trained in food allergy awareness and offer a number of options for students with food allergies and celiac disease.” Additionally, they do have a sensory dining room for students who need a quiet environment.
Nelson continued, “I don’t get why they’re limiting options when we give them so much money.”
Many students on campus have classes or organizations that run late and depend on the grill at the Max being open late at night. Julia Giraldo and Kelli Brent, juniors in the Emerson Dance Company, would often go to the Max after their later shows.
“What do they want us to do?” said Giraldo. “Starve?”
In addition to these changes, Business Services announced that the Paramount Café will be closed for the fall semester due to renovations.
“I feel bad for the students that live in Paramount,” said Giraldo, who was concerned for performing arts students who have classes in the building. “Now you have to trek all the way over for breakfast and lunch… I wouldn’t want to do that.”
Students have also been limited to using one meal swipe per student per transaction at dining locations across campus. Those who get more than two items will now have to pay for the second item with Board Bucks, a limited currency tied to each student’s dining account taken out of tuition.
According to a statement from Business Services, this policy is not new. “The current and previous policy is that, at our retail/á la carte locations, only one swipe per meal period (breakfast, lunch, light lunch, and dinner) can be used,” they wrote. “At the Dining Center, one meal swipe can be used per 45 minutes.”
“If I have the meal swipes, let me use the meal swipes,” Brent said.
Pressler echoed similar sentiments, worrying about how he will pay for food once he runs out of Board Bucks.
“I pay for all my own stuff, and I don’t have the financial backing of other people,” he said. “It’s disheartening that at some point I [will] run out of Board Bucks, and I might have to start spending money on food.”
Other policy changes have included making two of the Dining Center stations self-serve, a change Business Services hopes will give students more control over portions. Business Services said they welcome student feedback about their changes to the dining program, and hope to create a positive experience for all students.
“Student feedback plays an important role in shaping the dining program, and Bon Appétit appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with the community to keep improving,” they said.
However, some students still feel as though their voices aren’t being heard.
“I feel like these are changes that didn’t need to happen,” said Tanvi Dembla, a junior VMA major. “There’s just no clarity.”
Editor’s note: Emerson College Business Services has made updates to some dining policies to address student concerns, effective Sept. 16. A follow-up on this story can be found here.
