Alexandra Bode | Staff Reporter
A pilot program to keep Campus Club open until midnight Sunday through Thursday has been put in place for the month of January.
The program is looking at what students use in the C-Club, said Sally Click, dean of student services. It will show specifically which station they most use, what time food is bought the most and which days receive the most business. Sales will be pulled every half hour.
“We want to provide a service that will actually be utilized and not just have a service to say we have that service,” said Michelle Bryant-Jones, senior food service director.
Click said all of C-Club could be open later if the demand is there and students want it. Bryant-Jones said a survey has shown that students would like the sandwich station to be open later.
The idea came about from the Council of Presidential Affairs, which meets once a month with student concerns and then meets with campus administrators to bring forth those concerns.
Rachel Skelton, CPA member and chair of the Butler Cuisine Bureau, and Austin DelPriore, CPA student affairs committee coordinator, both said the idea of on-campus dining being open later has been a concern for many years.
“Students mostly go off campus (on the weekend) so it is unnecessary to have it open late these days,” Bryant-Jones said.
Click said as more feedback from students comes to the CPA or directly to Bryant-Jones and the Dining Services staff, they will see if more days, such as the weekends, are needed.
“I would like the option of getting food that late,” freshman Beth Fischer said.
During this trial month, many things will be evaluated.
C-Club and Starbucks both offer grab-and-go items. Bryant-Jones said she will examine whether or not the sales from Starbucks simply move over to C-Club or if new sales are generated.
During finals week there were a few days C-Club was open later, but because it was the end of the semester, Click said, many students had already used up their flex dollars—an allotted amount of money students receive with a meal plan.
“We want to try to do this with a normal flow of students. We need to change the culture and change people’s behavior by marketing better as well,” Click said.
Click said that the talk of more on-campus dining and renovation is also on the radar.
“If we needed to open Atherton Union later, it could be evaluated,” Click said.
Click and Bryant-Jones said student input on this is appreciated. Any students with concerns or thoughts on the dining services on campus may contact Bryant-Jones or CPA.
