BengalNews Reporters
Students at Buffalo State College were welcomed back to school from winter recess with brand new accommodations to improve their campus-dining experience.
The Sodexo-operated dining facility, found in the Campbell Student Union, introduced a few upgrades to campus-dining services including multiple new breakfast options, a fresh salad and Panini bar, increased breakfast hours of operation and multiple new plastic silverware utensils.
Jill Nabar, marketing supervisor of Sodexo campus services, heads the team of individuals responsible for the changes to the retail-dining hall. The new breakfast options at Sub Connection include assortments of bagels and toppings, from egg salad to lox.
Tim Ecklund, Associate Vice President of Student Life, brought the idea to Nabar after he had seen this similar breakfast variety at other SUNY schools.
The implementation of the new plastic utensil dispensers in the union came from previous complaints by students about the school’s previous dispensers. Ben Ibe, a senior at Buffalo State, was surprised that the new dispensers had even been put into effect.
“I didn’t expect the utensil dispensers, but I think they’re on the right track in terms of sanitary improvements,” he said.
The old containers were designed so anyone could reach into the piles of forks, knives, and spoons, which created the opportunity for potential contamination. The new design allows for one utensil to be dispensed at a time at the push of a lever, thus preventing contamination. This new design also prevents theft of utensils because only one is dispensed at a time. The new provision is one of many Nabar and her team planned on introducing in the spring semester.
Nabar said she and her team have received positive feedback from both faculty and students.
“Everyone was very excited, especially about the salad toss, Nabar said of the new salad bar. All the new healthier options for commuters and people who use the retail side of the union more frequently,” she said.
After many years of students waiting for new improvements to the retail-dining hall, their wishes have come true in the spring 2010 semester, with the retail-dining hall’s salad bar debut. Ibe also commented on how the changes to the retail dining area were for the better.
“It has definitely improved. There is more variety in terms of food. You go to bigger schools and they have more options, so variety is always a plus,” he said.
According to Nabar, she and her staff are doing everything possible and resorting to new measures to gather student feedback about their dining facilities. New methods include student surveys, monthly food committee meetings consisting of Sodexo and campus service employees and suggestion boxes scattered all over the student union. The food committee will gather said suggestions and evaluate them further for future changes.
“There are always continuous improvements”, Nabar said.
The first student feedback surveys will be out and applied to the student body this month. In addition to the changes already made by Nabar, more are on the way.
“We are planning to add breakfast services in the resident buffet service as well. It is all about what the needs and desires of the students are,” she said.
