<ugh Carleton College saw much construction and renovation this past summer, from the Weitz Center for Creativity to the Davis-Burton Hall connection, these campus developments do not outshine the changes to Sayles Hill.
First and foremost, Sayles got a facelift with some new furniture and technology. New signs with event advertisements now conveniently display important information and a new television is situated in the upper lounge. “The furniture has to be kept clean and move easily for events. The tabletops flip up and nest together with wheels on the bottom,” said Nadine Sunderland, Assistant Director of Student Activities. “[This helps] save time and money—and there’s not much storage in Sayles.”
A committee comprised of coordinators and directors of the campus, students, and facilities met to decide on what items to purchase. “Everyone had to compromise,” Sunderland said.
At the start of first week, students witnessed a change in Sayles: curtailed grill hours. Open 16 hours Monday through Thursday, Sayles caters to students’ cravings through all the major meals (including midnight snack). The Sayles grill was closed 4pm-8pm, during dinner hours. Chilled to-go meals and baked goods are available, but not freshly-made food until later in the evening.
The decision to omit the 4-8pm grill hours came from a joint decision by the college and the dining service, Bon Appétit. Kathleen McKenna, the Bon Appétit general manager, explained: “Bon Appétit and Carleton College negotiate what we provide and costs on an annual basis with an open book policy . . . We stop and evaluate all programming, evaluating participation and revenue.”
Especially with the addition of the new Weitz Center Café, Bon Appétit wanted to make sure their revenue and costs were reasonably balanced. After discussing cutting grill hours during low traffic times, Bon Apetit gave it a shot.
Shortened grill hours generated many complaints and requests for a return to the previous dinnertime grilling, and Bon Appétit responded by reinstating the dinnertime grill hours. “Students are why we’re here,” McKenna said, adding that a certain portion of the student body felt the heaviest impact. “Twelve-meal plan and off-board students were more affected from the change than the overall student body.”
In addition to responding to student feedback, Bon Appétit offers several events this fall to continue to involve students in their dining programming, including a film showing on farm labor Oct. 14 and a Student vs. Chef competition Oct. 27.