Last week the news went out that Simmons Dining Hall would be closing at the end of this academic year. That space will be renovated to provide a number of new rooms, similar to the renovations that occurred in McElwain last year. The good news is that those rooms are gorgeous, with bathroom facilities that are individual (not built in the room, but with a locking door for each toilet/sink/shower room), and there is very nice study and communal space. The bad news is, of course, that we are losing what has been a central space for our honors community. (I have been told that the healthy dining option, which had been exclusive to Simmons Dining will now be offered throughout the other dining halls.)
This week I met with those in charge of these changes and we discussed ways that we could try to preserve those aspects of having a dining hall which enhance and build our community. The renovation will happen, but we will have student and SHC representation on the planning committee. The Housing, Food Services, and Residence Life administrators want to work closely with us to make sure that the residential component of the SHC experiences remains strong and very positive. I want to thank them for being willing to work with us and I think that we will be able to create new and engaging community experiences for our students.
Finally, Dr. Stan Latta, the Assistant VP of HFSRL, has given me permission to share with you an email that presents the reasons for this change.
First, let me reassure you that the healthy options that Simmons Dining has implemented over the last 18 months have become an important component in the variety of dining opportunities for our students on campus. Our staff in Residential Dining recognize how popular this option has become and are working on ways to offer a similar menu selection in one of our other dining operations.
Second, the closing of Simmons Dining is a part of a larger plan that began with the closing of McElwain Dining two years ago. We have been working for several years now on a plan to renovate our residence halls, and in particular South Halls. Some of our residence halls are approaching the point where, because of when they were built and their configuration, they need to be renovated in order to continue to meet the needs and requests of our residential students. As an aside, you may be aware that we have just completed the renovation of our 4 residence halls in North Halls and have created suite style housing rather than the traditional double loaded hallways with open bathrooms. As we approach the project in South Halls we recognize that two things will occur; 1- we will lose total bed space on campus as a result of any renovation to the halls in South, and 2- we will lose 250-260 bed spaces each year over a four to five year period as we take the buildings off line to complete the renovation. Because the Housing and Food Services operations at University Park and the Commonwealth Campuses are auxiliary operations, meaning we must generate all of our operating funds from the students’ room and board fees, total occupancy is a critical factor in meeting our budget and keeping room and board costs as low as possible. As we move forward with the plan to renovate, we decided to close both the McElwain and Simmons dining operations since both were already located in a residence hall and convert the area to bed space. This allows us to minimize the loss of residence hall space on campus and still try to meet student the needs of those students who want to live on campus.
Third, plans are underway to renovate the Pollock Dining Commons. In order to continue to meet the changing housing and food service needs of our residential students, the current configuration of the Pollock dining operation must change. We are in the process of selecting an architect to redesign the food service operation in Pollock and the staff in Residential Dining have been researching new concepts and talking with their colleagues at other institutions regarding the development of positive dining experiences for students. We are hopeful that this process will be completed prior to the start of the South Halls renovation project.
While I recognize the loss of both the McElwain and Simmons Dining operations has been frustrating for some students and staff, I hope that you can see that these decisions were part of a larger plan to continue to improve the residential and dining experiences for our students and be sensitive to the room and board fees and the total cost of attendance. I am confident that the healthy concept will continue to remain a part of the dining options we provide and the renovations to both South Halls and the Pollock Dining Commons will only enhance the residential experience for our students.
If you have additional questions or comments, please feel free to contact me directly.
Stanley E. Latta, D.Ed
Assistant Vice President
Housing, Food Services and Residence Life
204 HFS Building
University Park, PA 16802814-865-5423
sxl1 @ psu.edu
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