Many students at Butler University frequent the Atherton Union Marketplace and may know little about the food they are putting in their mouths.

Photos by Jaclyn McConnell

Atherton offers food to students every day, but where does this food come from? How is it prepared? How can students find nutrition information on the food?

Ed Campbell, manager at Atherton Marketplace, said the food comes from multiple sources.

“We buy 90 percent of our food from Sysco International Food, Inc.,” he said. “We buy all of our produce from Piazza Produce, which is here locally, and from them, we are purchasing local produce when possible.”

Campbell said Sysco delivers three times a week, and the produce comes in six times a week.

Campbell said the menu varies.

“It’s a four-week menu cycle, so we repeat after four weeks,” he said, “but every four weeks we are tweaking the menu based on customer reaction.”

Michelle Bryant-Jones, director of dining services, said in an email that Atherton does not use trans fat or MSG in its foods.

According to msgtruth.org, MSG is a salt of the amino acid glutamic acid that is put in food to trick your tongue into thinking the food is high in protein and nutritious.

“All of our meals are made in- house,” Bryant-Jones said. “We have several certified culinary chefs on staff, as well as associates that we give on-the-job training to dissect and prepare recipes for our students.”

Campbell said a nutritionist is not consulted in the process of choosing the food and that it is each student’s responsibility to make wise choices.

Freshman Kelly Murphy visits the dining hall often.

“It’s definitely not fine dining, but it’s food that’s edible,” Murphy said.

Freshman Mariah Sells said she would like to see healthy choices available all the time.

Students who eat at Atherton can be more conscientious of the nutrition of the food by checking out the dining service website or downloading the free app called CampusDish.

“It’s a great little tool,” Campbell said. “The one pitfall for this is the fact that the nutritional content is based on suggested serving size.”

The free app is available for iPhones and Androids. Students can download the app and then select Butler University.

Nutrition information and serving sizes for meals at Atherton are available and can be a resource for students to be more knowledgeable about what they are eating.

With the new addition to Atherton opening on Sept. 27, students may have more vegetable and meat options when it comes to nutritious food.

One of Butler University’s dining options, Campus Club, is losing business, and students say they aren’t surprised.

C-Club, located in the basement of Atherton Union, has seen its business slow down early in the school year.

A possible reason for this  is the end of meal exchange, an option to use meal swipes instead of flex dollars when purchasing a meal.

Michelle Bryant-Jones, senior food service director, said that the lack of business is recognized but was expected.

“We removed the meal exchange but instead offered unlimited meals in the Atherton Marketplace and also gave students 400 flex dollars to spend at C-Club to make up for the prices,” Bryant-Jones said.

Freshman Matthew Richter said he does not like C-Club because now it is too expensive.

“I don’t see a reason to go to C-Club because we now have unlimited meals anyway,”  Richter said.

The prices have also been criticized because of the lack of food that C-Club has to offer.

“I like it because it’s convenient and fast, and the workers are friendly,” freshman Emma Doris said, “but it’s overpriced, and there needs to be more options.”

Upperclassmen who have been able to use C-Club with meal exchange in the past now miss that feature.

“I used to use meal exchange a lot, but now without it, I rarely go, especially with the expensive prices,” junior Terry Brennan said.

Bryant-Jones also said they will try to bring in more students by offering discounts on certain items, as well as bring in a sushi chef to prepare fresh sushi for students.

“We are hoping that students will use these new features at C-Club,’ Bryant-Jones said, “as an alternate dining option with a variety of different foods.”

A $2.5 million renovation and expansion to the Atherton Union Marketplace greeted students for their first meals of the semester.

The project has a dual purpose of creating more space and making cosmetic changes.

“It was obvious that we had a facility that was aging and inadequate,” Sally Click, dean of student services, said. “It will be a really welcome change.”

Not all changes were completed when the first meal was served, however.

Jerry Carlson, director of maintenance services, said that the addition will not be finished until Sept. 15.

“That is just taking longer because they had to tear down a wall and add some space outside,” Carlson said.

The addition will house a Mongolian grill and provide around 100 more seats.

Dining services is making efforts to accommodate students, especially during the lunch rush, Michelle Bryant-Jones, director of dining services, said.

The UClub adjacent to the Marketplace is open for seating when it is not being used for an event, she said, and a Grab & Go lunch option serves students who don’t have time to wait for a seat.

Click said the décor of the addition will match the existing style, updated over last year’s winter break.

The renovations inside the current structure, which began during last semester’s graduation week, were completed just before students arrived for their first meals.

These include a brick pizza oven and a bakery where students can see food prepared in front of them.

Dish service has been upgraded as well, Carlson said. Students will put their trays on an accumulator, a carousel-like machine that continuously rotates to bring dishes to a washing station in the back.

“It was a much-needed addition,” he said. “We’re pretty excited.”

The renovations have already added about 75 new seats.

Bryant-Jones said she hopes the students will enjoy the overall experience.

“You’re being offered variety,” she said. “You have space. You have a great atmosphere. You have a great meal.”

The money for the $2.5 million project comes from capital investments in the contract that Butler University has with Aramark, its food service vendor, Click said. Butler students’ money is not being used in this construction.

Click said these improvements happen every few years because of the contract.

“They’re looking at keeping those spaces fresh,” she said, “and it’s really helpful to have that capital to do that.”

Capital has been used in the past for Starbucks and Residential College dining renovations.

The changes came because students wanted them, Click said. After meetings with the Butler Cuisine Bureau and members of the Council on Presidential Affairs, the plan was created to match students’ needs and desires.

Click said she is excited to see how students react to the space.

“I really do think our environment shapes our experience,” Click said. “I think people will really enjoy being there.”

Students should use patience while they navigate around the several construction projects on campus.

Photo by Rafael Porto

There are many construction sites around campus, and students should understand that these upgrades are necessary and beneficial.

These developing areas are a good sign that Butler is putting our tuition dollars to good use, especially after raising the tuition for students last year.

Many students, especially those who drive, have likely noticed the construction by Clowes Memorial Hall.

The exterior of the $15 million Schrott Center  project is nearly complete.

It is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2013 vice president for finance and administration Bruce Arick said.

Another project on campus nearing completion is the second phase of the Atherton Union renovation.

There will be a temporary wall standing in the dining hall until mid-September  Arick said.

A larger student population, coupled with this temporary wall, will increase congestion in the dining hall.

With the integration of the new unlimited meal plan system, the traffic should be less than expected because students have the ability to eat at more times throughout the day.

Another building students should expect having to find detours around is  Jordan Hall, which is undergoing renovations on its exterior.

The northeast entrance, currently barricaded by fencing and equipment, will be out of commission for most of the fall semester.

This is due to safety issues, Arick said.

Hinkle Fieldhouse has also become a labyrinth in the midst of its recent renovations.

Workers are tuck-pointing bricks and replacing windows, Arick said.

Many of the entrances are not accessible because of safety issues, and scaffolding has been built in front of or around the doors.

The maze of scaffolding and sequence of locked doors make it difficult to find a way into the building.

This is the first of a few phases of renovations to be done to Hinkle, and talks of making renovations to the interior of Hinkle are underway.

“There is a lot they want to improve but not take away from the nature of Hinkle,” Arick said .

Basketball purists can now relax.

Butler students tend to complain a lot, even about the smallest of things.

The slight hurdles of detours, blocked entrances and construction are no exception.

As students groan about the longer or colder walk in the winter months, they should just think about how great all the renovations will look.

Don’t throw a fit of rage.

Don’t complain about how a particular project inconveniences you.

Instead, consider how  all these renovations benefit every student in the long run.

Published April 24, 2012

The joke in my family right now is that my sister is the smartest sibling, since she decided to enroll at a university in the Sunshine State, whereas I choose one in the Hoosier State.

Although I envy her and the view she will have of the Atlantic Ocean, I am saddened that she will not have the incredible and unique Butler University experience I had.
These upcoming four years at Butler would truly have been enjoyable for her.

Nevertheless, the past four years have provided me with many memories and life lessons, and I am very excited to see Butler progress.

The changes proposed or those that are already in the process of completion are much needed and will positively transform the university.

The most visible changes that my sister would have experienced are, of course, the construction projects on campus.

The new performance arts complex, the Howard L. Schrott Center, will be a nice venue that I hope will bring in more highly sought speakers.

The proposed parking garage with retail space is also a project my sister would have experienced.

Also, she could have eaten in the renovated Atherton Union dining hall, and maybe even roomed in a modernized residence hall.

But construction projects are not the only changes that are occurring on campus.

The student population has changed over the years, and I think it is necessary for certain changes to take place involving the students.

I remain convinced that the student body should change the Student Government Association and transform the format into a student senate.

Great potential is present for creating a student senate as it would involve all aspects of student organizations on campus.

The student senate would be more efficient and involve student leaders that would be driven to create change on campus, not just attend to be eligible for a student organization grant.

A great amount of research and determined energy would be needed to execute the change effectively, but ultimately it would be a sustainable project serving the Butler student population for years to come.

A majority of our peer institutions already have this format.

Secondly, if my sister should choose to become involved with Greek life on campus, then I would have hoped that she  would involve herself in the much needed changes dealing with the alcohol-related hospitalizations on campus.

I believe that in the upcoming years students associated with Greek life should devote themselves to creating a bottom-up policy dealing with the risks associated with unaccountable drinking.

The debate is always going to be centered on a policy of beer and wine only.

Rather than a decision made by administrators, chapter presidents would benefit the campus more if they were to call a meeting and create their own policy recommendations to better serve the community.

This was attempted a few years ago, but the conversation ran out of momentum.

I hope that this upcoming year, Greek leaders will find it beneficial to create a public discussion on this topic once again.

Overall, I am excited for the changes occurring on campus, and even though my sister will not be attending Butler, I have already begun to convince my younger brother.

Photo by Josh Morris

During winter break, The Market Place at Atherton Union went under renovation.

The new setup opens up the room more, gives students more beverage options and provides more booth space that breaks up the daily battle between the hard seat and your behind.

Many students believed that the facelift was much needed. The  improvement turned out pretty nice, but I would have rather had a major upgrade in food quality over an upgrade in setting.

Other students agreed that the Market Place look beautiful.

“I thinks it’s one of the things they should have done,” freshman Jacob McElroy said. “I like it a lot better than I used to.”

McElroy eats in Atherton most nights, if not every night, of the week. He gave the new Market Place a 9 out of 10 rating.

“It was money well spent,” junior Alexander Perritt said. “Things were old. It was due for a renovation.”

The biggest difference is the amount of space there is in the dining area.

“Before, everything was clogged,” Perritt said, “and I couldn’t even back my chair up without elbowing a dude in the back of the head.”

Both McElroy and Perritt would have preferred to have better grub instead of an flashier dining room.

Not only are students fans of the new Atherton design, but the staff is happy the school invested in upgrading the dining hall.

“I love it,” said Lenora Winn, a worker in the dining hall. “I don’t think I would change anything.”

I like the new setup, but there are several huge issues that have come about because of the new arrangement.

Every time I have eaten there, I have struggled to find a place to sit.

I normally take two to three laps around the room to find an open table, and if I want to eat in a group of more than five people, good luck trying to find five chairs or a table big enough.

According to Aramark, seating capacity went from 385 to 410.

Maybe the redesign is encouraging students to eat in the Market Place instead of devouring microwavable meals in their room or off campus.

The other issue is the lines to the serving area veer every which way.

It’s so chaotic that I work up an appetite after fighting my way through the cluster of people.

The lines are so long, I normally have to take a minute to determine which one corresponds to which food station.

I agree that Atherton was due for a renovation, but the students I spoke to all agreed that money spent on the menu would go a lot farther.

I could have put up with another semester or two of rubbing up behind a stranger as I pass my food over their head: awkward.

Although it’s nice to watch “Sports Center” at all of my meals, I would rather have something I could actually enjoy eating on my plate.

Student affairs didn’t hit a home run,  but more of a base hit with the new renovation.

Hopefully the next investment they make will be offering a tastier collection of the main attraction—food.

Photo by Josh Morris

The Market Place at Atherton Union has a new appearance after a makeover during winter break.

The dining facility now includes a lounge area with a television and a fireplace, new floors and walls, booths and a different seating arrangement.  The food has also undergone a renovation in order to provide more variety and healthier options.

Freshman exploratory studies major Alyssa Hayes had input from the very beginning on the renovations.  Before break, she joined with other Schwitzer Hall students to discuss potential renovations.

The students shared their thoughts on the current Atherton and discussed changes they wished to see if The Market Place was renovated.

“This is where we eat everyday and this is the type of change we wanted,” Hayes said after seeing the renovated facility. “It was so cool to go into the new Atherton and see changes that our group had actually talked about.”

After several years of working in Atherton’s dining services, Brenda Campbell said the renovation was worth the $500,000 spent.
She said the changes in appearance and food choices have benefited both the staff and the students.

“The students seem to be very happy with it, and we are too,” Campbell said.

While the brighter and cleaner atmosphere could create a more energetic work environment for the employees, Campbell said the staff is happiest to see and hear the positive feedback from students.

“I see them fighting for the two lounge chairs by the TV,” Campbell said during the lunchtime rush hour.

She has also noticed a larger influx of students coming into Atherton during mealtimes.

According to Campbell, the students socialize and hang out in Atherton more than they did before because of the more comfortable environment.

“We’re all so excited about the changes, and I think the students really love it,”Campbell said. “Meals are busier than before.”

In addition to the renovations made to the facility, Campbell said the staff members are also working on other upgrades, consistently adding new recipes and continuing to train more employees to make it better for students.

Freshman psychology major Danielle Markowitz said the changes made the dining experience better, but the focus of the project should’ve been more on the food and less on the appearance.

Lauren Palmer,  a freshman engineering major, said she loves the new Atherton because the appearance and better food are worth the money spent.

“I had the choice to switch to my sorority’s meal plan, and I’m going to stay here, because now, the food is delicious,” Palmer said.

Freshman engineering major Justin Miller said he also appreciates the changes made to Atherton.  While he said the school spent a lot of money, he said he thinks it was for a good cause.

“The food is something that actually affects students everyday,” Miller said.

Many students believe the new renovations make Atherton more of a place to lounge and not just eat.

“With the fireplace and the comfy chairs,” Palmer said. “I could actually hang out here.”

Rendering courtesy of University Relations

The Market Place at Atherton Union will receive some gifts during winter break from dining services, including a fireplace, banquette seating and fresher food options.

The $500,000 renovation to Atherton has been in the works since 2008, said Stacey Puck, director of dining services, and it may be only one part of a two- or three-phase renovation said.

“[President Jim] Danko has said that he doesn’t like the dining options here,” Vice President for Student Affairs Levester Johnson said at a Nov. 9 Student Government Association meeting. “I’ve said that they’re not the best. I’ve heard students say they’re not the best. It’s time for a change.”

The first phase will be completely installed over winter break, Puck said.

Dining services plans to install new wood-style vinyl flooring, lay-in coffer ceilings, environmentally friendly, semi-recessed lighting fixtures, new bulkhead and wall paint and new millwork walls with stone veneer bases.

Puck also said that the department will install an artificial fireplace and banquette seats, which will provide a much different feel to the dining area.

“The current plan in the Market Place does not really encourage people to sit around and talk after they get done eating,” Johnson said. “No one wants to sit in there and talk for a long time.”

Taylor Meador, a junior representative for Alliance, said she was concerned about the issue of space with these new renovations at the SGA meeting, but Puck said that space was one of the renovation’s main focuses.

“We won’t be taking away any seats,” Puck said.

Atherton’s current seating capacity is 364, and the renovations may actually add some additional seating, Puck said.

Jill Petnuch, a freshman biology major, said the aesthetics of Atherton are not as big of a concern as the accessibility.

“I don’t really care what it looks like,” Petnuch said. “I just want it to be open later.”

New fresh and healthy food options are also part of the renovation, Courtney Tuell, director of public relations, said. Fresh food selections will include salad, deli and “fresh for you” options.

Puck has been conducting focus groups with students to hear what the student body has to say about their dining experiences, and she said that she encourages students to provide input, feedback and suggestions about menu options and hours of operation by emailing  food@butler.edu.

Cynthia Roush, a freshman exploratory studies major, said she is looking forward to the healthier options.

“I want fresh fruit,” Roush said. “I feel like I’m lacking on my fruits and vegetables.”

Puck said dining services is assisting with the cost of the project.

Dining services has invested $1.9 million in advancements on campus since 1998, including the addition of Starbucks to the Butler Bookstore, the installation of the C-Store in the lower level of the Dawg House and the Zia Juice Bar in the Health and Recreation Complex.

A burst pipe on the northeast side of Jordan Hall dampened the daily routine for some faculty, staff and students last Thursday.

Interim Vice President for Operations Gerald Carlson said workers struck a fire hydrant Nov. 10 while using a lift to hang banners for last weekend’s presidential inauguration.

The fire hydrant ruptured a water main beneath the sidewalk, which flooded the area. This flood forced pedestrian traffic to divert around the area and also disrupted the flow of water to Atherton Union, home of the Market Place and Starbucks.

“We immediately called the water company so they could shut off the water supply until the break could be repaired,” Carlson said. “The same line feeding the fire hydrant fed Atherton Union.”

Carlson said Atherton was without water until approximately 6:30 p.m.

The lack of water forced Aramark to make adjustments to meal services.

“[Dining services] had to make arrangements to accommodate our guests during the meal periods,”said Stacey Puck, director of dining services. “We set up temporary beverage stations at the Market Place at Atherton since the fountain machines were not operable.”

Puck said that dining services has contingency plans for situations when dining services can’t operate as normal due to unforeseeable circumstances, such as water disruption or weather events.

“During the snowstorms earlier this year, dining services personnel were some of the only staff members on campus,” Puck said.

“Members of our management team were able to arrive to campus and went through with what staff could get to campus. We then had to centralize all of our dining through the Market Place.”

These sudden changes are not always convenient or satisfying for students and staff, though. Students looking for a caffeine fix Thursday afternoon found that Starbucks was not selling hot beverages.

“It was a really cold day, so we were kind of disappointed,” freshman Michelle Quenon said.

Freshman Christina Perry said although she was disappointed, she wasn’t too upset about it.

“Things like this happen, and we understand that,” Perry said.

It is this understanding that Puck said she and the dining services team are thankful for.

“We appreciate students’ understanding and patience when something like this happens that is beyond our control,” Puck said.

The water main break was repaired by Thursday evening, and dining services, including Starbucks, have since resumed normal operations.

It’s a familiar story. A student finishes a paper with only 10 minutes to spare and runs to the nearest printer, only to find it hopelessly jammed.

He or she fires off a barely coherent email to the professor and sprints to class, arriving sweaty and panting, only to hear that Dr. So-and-so doesn’t accept electronic submissions.

We at The Butler Collegian believe that Butler University must either keep the printers better maintained—which includes better technical staffing—or enforce wider-spread use of Blackboard and other methods of electronic submissions.

Maybe we only notice it when it doesn’t work properly, but it seems like there are never enough printers working.

And when they don’t, students could wait upwards of an hour for someone to fix it.

The problem is compounded by these two factors: Students struggle to find a way to print and aren’t always offered other ways to turn things in.

Printing might seem like a minor issue, but it affects every single student.

It can be the difference between getting credit for an assignment and failing.

Email is nothing new, and yet some professors refuse to accept digital copies of assignments.

Sometimes this makes sense; not every assignment can be digital, and not every professor has the resources to print out 40 term papers.

They might find more paper in the budget, however, if students did not print as much.

Butler definitely has the resources to help cover some of these concerns—they’re already paying to fill the student printers.

And for every paper that can’t be submitted digitally, there’s one that easily could be.

The university should consider redirecting their student paper budget.

If the administration pushes electronic submission, they will still have the paper—and the professors will have ample oppurtunity to use it.

As going green becomes a larger focus for many Americans, it becomes even more relevant for Butler to focus on digital submissions.

And if the administration thinks print credits are important, they should make sure that those credits are usable.

Students are familiar with the scenario of a jammed printer maliciously swallowing a dozen points from PrintSmart, deaf to agonized cries.

If poorly maintained printers are the norm, the print credits may not accurately represent student paper usage.

The university has multiple solutions available to them.

They could place a technician in the Atherton Union computer lab who made sure the printer ran properly.

Butler could add this position, and perhaps make more efforts to keep their hardware up and running on a regular basis.

Or the university could take a running leap into the future and wring students’ money’s worth out of Blackboard and Dropbox
software.

If faculty and staff need more supplies to print out all of those digital copies, Butler will probably find students’ lack of consumption will replace the professors’ infamously depleted paper rations.