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In early February the Student Government Association (SGA) conducted a survey about the dining services at the College. Carried out independent of the Department of Dining Services, the

survey was designed to be a barometer of student feelings towards dining at the College.

The SGA Food Committee, led by Tina Williamson ’12, created the survey. The committee was the result of the many issues, discussions and questions that had been brought up by students over the previous months.

The survey solicited students’ comments and ideas on dining at the College, how the dining has changed since their arrival and what, if any, changes they would like to see in the future.

While neither Director of Dining Services Matthew Biette nor his department was involved in the survey, Mr. Biette did receive the results from the SGA committee.

“This [survey] was to take a pulse of the students,” Biette said. “Now we have some pieces to work from.”

After looking at the responses to the survey, Williamson concluded that the “pulse” was not entirely positive.

“The survey results demonstrate some of the frustration students have with the current dining system.”

According to Williamson, the survey showed that the quality and quantity of the food is of top importance to students, as is the dining atmosphere.  In addition, students felt they could add clarity to the issue of taking dishes out of the dining hall. Most students do not take dishes out with the intent to keep or steal them; rather, it is a result of lack of time or a lack of seating.

Comments of overcrowding and a decline in the quality and variety of food were also prevalent throughout the responses.

Some of the change is attributed to the College’s financial situation, Biette explained.

“Within the economy, our budgets are tightened; we’ve got more students [at the school as well],” Biette said. “Though inflation has not moved much, the pricing of food has and we are trying to purchase smart and trying to give you menu and recipe items that work.”

The inclement weather this year has also led to a rise in the prices of produce.

Nevertheless, the survey found that students still desire a third dining hall on campus.

“There is overwhelming support for the re-opening of Atwater dining hall for a number of reasons, namely due to the seating crunch at the other dining halls, the high quality of food that was available there and the open and peaceful atmosphere Atwater has,” Williamson said.

Reopening Atwater, though, is not an option, Biette said.

“It is a very high price question. It takes a lot of people and money to run these places.”

While many students feel as though opening up Atwater dining hall is the main way to fix the problem of crowded dining halls, the half an hour mayhem that occurs in both dining halls at each meal is dependent on many things and can be alleviated.

Biette agrees that the dining halls can be tight, and in particular they are crowded in the cold weather months due to the lack of outdoor seating which add a significant number of places to sit. He urges students to avoid eating during the high traffic times.

At Ross Commons dining hall in particular, the long lines can be helped. The servery at Ross dining hall was designed so that each food station would have its own following.  Rather than form long lines to look at all of the food, Biette encourages students to go directly to the station that they are waiting for.

Williamson hopes the survey will prompt greater changes in dining at Middlebury.

“Hopefully when presented, the results will demonstrate the frustrations of the students and encourage positive changes in the dining model,” she said. “This is just the start — clearly much more discussion needs to happen and needs to come from the students since they are who this is all for. It needs to continue to come from them.”

Biette also welcomes further communication about the dining at Middlebury with the dining services staff.

“There is a dining committee and if anyone wants to get involved, they should get in touch with me.  Or stop me and we can have a conversation,“ said Biette. “We are always available.”

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