New Doors Go Up in Ross Dining Hall

Author: Nicole Maddox

Previously open 24 hours a day, Ross Dining Hall is currently installing new doors to keep the area locked after hours. Incidents of vandalism and inconveniences to the Dining Staff have prompted the change in policy.
During the fall semester, Middlebury Dining Services frequently faced spills, garbage on the floors and counters and disappearances of large amounts of food and supplies. Several major acts of vandalism also occurred, including damage to the card swiper and frozen yogurt machine and broken windows, signs and cabinet doors. Steve Abbott, associate professor of mathematics and co-faculty head of Ross Commons, also drew attention to the issue of student safety, explaining that Ross has "not had any problems as of yet, but because of the nature of cooking equipment this is always an issue."
The installation of the doors brings to light the potential problems between the "commons philosophy" of space belonging to the students and the need for efficiency of a dining staff serving hundreds of students daily. Abbott admits it is "gratifying to walk into the hall late in the evening and find students working, talking or helping themselves to a soda. This is as it should be, and the goal is to have the spaces become even more integral to the life of the commons."
Although the doors are generally viewed as a contradiction to this commons ideal, the installation is intended as a compromise. The doors are planned to be locked only during what have historically been the most problematic hours -- 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays, and after dinner on weekends. A key to the doors will be available to students who are prepared to take responsibility for their use of the hall.
The new doors will lead to a transition to a more open policy in the future. "There are many nights when things go completely smoothly," Abbott continued, "and I would say that things have improved recently as more people have been made aware of the policies and the problems." Abbott's hope is that the locked-door policy will further raise students' consciousness of their obligation to use the dining hall responsibly.
Elizabeth DiCioccio '06, a frequent visitor to Ross Dining Hall after hours, commented "It was nice to have Ross open late, but there was no food accessible anyway." Unlike DiCioccio, most students never took advantage of Ross' availability in the first place, often preferring The Grille as a more satisfying late-night hangout. "When they had the cabinets open," DiCioccio explains, "it was really unsanitary and disconcerting to have everyone going through the available cereal and hot chocolate or anything else left out." Although the installation of the doors will be a disappointment to some, the new policy strives to accommodate the needs of the Dining Services staff and the wants of the students.