2008 Woodie Awards
Is Smith Heading in the Direction of Centralized Dining?
Fatoumata Soumaré
Issue date: 9/29/05 Section: Opinion
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Returning for another year at Smith, it never fails to astonish me how much can change. The greatest changes by far have been in dining. Last year, eighteen houses had dining. This year we're down to fourteen houses: Chapin, Chase/Duckett, Tyler, Comstock, Wilder, Hubbard, Cushing, Emerson, Lamont, Morrow, Wilson, Gillett, Northrop, and King/Scales. Year by year, houses lose their dining privileges and year by year it becomes just a bit more difficult to find simple items in the dining halls that are still open. Have you noticed the scarcity of bagels (plain bagels in particular), waffle batter, white rice in the Asian houses (Comstock/Wilder), and not to mention the repeating patterns of deli buffet lunches? And why is Chapin counting items?
These changes cannot be because Smith is running out of money. Last weekend the Smith College Campus Center held a "Casino Night" and about $1,500-$2,000 worth of prizes were given away. They gave away three portable DVD players, four movie baskets, two regular DVD players and gift cards to local shops in downtown Northampton. Is entertaining us more important than feeding us? I am baffled as to why such prizes can be given away so easily, but our dining situation keeps getting stingier and less accommodating. "I love being at Smith," Jannah Handy '08 said, "but the dining system is failing us. Comstock keeps running out of rice at 6pm!"
I've also noticed that our popular Chapin House grab'n go has become a bit too stern. This academic year, not only will there be a person standing around monitoring that we just take one entrée, there will also be someone standing near the exit to ensure that we leave with no more than five items. One of the reasons I came to Smith was because of its dining, especially the idea of Thursday night candlelight dinners. I liked the idea of giving new students and upperclassmen a chance to bond and relate to one another. If Chapin is going to keep counting items, why don't we just get a meal plan? If in other dining halls we are permitted to go back for seconds, then why are we no longer entitled to take six items if we don't take an entrée?
Did anyone by chance notice those beautiful waffle machines? We just purchased them last semester and so far our first years haven't had the chance to try the wonderful waffles they make because the waffle batter is nowhere to be found! We have new machines, no batter, no plain bagels and an Asian dining with a shortage of white rice. It concerns me that Smith's dining system is degenerating because its dining system, as an alum once told me, has been one of the best parts of Smith for decades. I think for the sake of tradition dining should be more pleasurable and fun for the Smith community. "I honestly think that one year Smith is going to revert central dining to the Campus Center," said "Muffy" '08. I hope that this will not occur, but then again, they have gotten away with so much thus far.
These changes cannot be because Smith is running out of money. Last weekend the Smith College Campus Center held a "Casino Night" and about $1,500-$2,000 worth of prizes were given away. They gave away three portable DVD players, four movie baskets, two regular DVD players and gift cards to local shops in downtown Northampton. Is entertaining us more important than feeding us? I am baffled as to why such prizes can be given away so easily, but our dining situation keeps getting stingier and less accommodating. "I love being at Smith," Jannah Handy '08 said, "but the dining system is failing us. Comstock keeps running out of rice at 6pm!"
I've also noticed that our popular Chapin House grab'n go has become a bit too stern. This academic year, not only will there be a person standing around monitoring that we just take one entrée, there will also be someone standing near the exit to ensure that we leave with no more than five items. One of the reasons I came to Smith was because of its dining, especially the idea of Thursday night candlelight dinners. I liked the idea of giving new students and upperclassmen a chance to bond and relate to one another. If Chapin is going to keep counting items, why don't we just get a meal plan? If in other dining halls we are permitted to go back for seconds, then why are we no longer entitled to take six items if we don't take an entrée?
Did anyone by chance notice those beautiful waffle machines? We just purchased them last semester and so far our first years haven't had the chance to try the wonderful waffles they make because the waffle batter is nowhere to be found! We have new machines, no batter, no plain bagels and an Asian dining with a shortage of white rice. It concerns me that Smith's dining system is degenerating because its dining system, as an alum once told me, has been one of the best parts of Smith for decades. I think for the sake of tradition dining should be more pleasurable and fun for the Smith community. "I honestly think that one year Smith is going to revert central dining to the Campus Center," said "Muffy" '08. I hope that this will not occur, but then again, they have gotten away with so much thus far.