Renovations will begin next year to make The Commons and Food Court more user-friendly.
The renovations, which will cost the school approximately $350,000, is funded by a planned use of reserves budget, appointed by the IU Budget Office and the IU Board of Trustees.
The planned use of reserves budget is available funds outside the school’s regular base budget.
James Bonsall, Student Government Association president, said he believes the renovations are necessary.
“I’d like to see a better area,” Bonsall said. “I spend a huge portion of my time waiting in line.”
Dana Wavle, vice chancellor for Administrative Affairs, said students can expect more space to move around and make selections. He said they can also expect more variety of food, an expanded grill and pizza station with new menu offerings and a sharper appearance.
Wavle said The Commons and the Food Court area is limited in terms of size and design.
The new design, which is available at www.ius.edu/uc, includes additional space and a large emphasis on student-studying facilities. The concept art has more two-person tables and booths with a reduction of the amount of four-person tables.
The cause for the renovation is the amount of customer congestion and crowding during peak dining hours.
“We’re having a difficult time meeting the dining needs of our growing campus community,” Wavle said. “This was confirmed by our spring 2009 dining survey. Also, the bottlenecks and lines we see during peak periods pose safety issues for customers and staff. We need to be more intentional and thoughtful about customer queuing.”
Bonsall said he agrees.
“[The area] isn’t set up efficiently,” Bonsall said. “Lunchtime is a big mess.”
A list of goals IU Southeast provided the developer included improving lines and delays, improving functionality and improving the interior design. Wavle said the school wants to achieve the greatest impact with the available resources.
“The remodeled space will be easier and faster to navigate,” Wavle said. “We’re giving a lot of thought to how customers will enter the area and how they’ll make their dining choices, depending upon the time of day and customer preferences.”
The development has been contracted out to Robert Rippe & Associates, Inc. This group is a dining service design and consulting company that develops food service facilities for hospitals, schools and correctional facilities.
Jared Murphy, secondary education sophomore and food service worker, said he had noticed the developers in the area.
“I’ve seen them coming in and out, measuring, and they’re doing work,” Murphy said. “I like their ideas so far.”
Not everyone agrees with the cost of the development.
“The renovations seem a little excessive seeing as how they just remodeled it,” Megan Byler, psychology junior, said, “but I do think that it needs to be larger. It can get pretty crowded in there sometimes.”
By MATTHEW CHINN
Staff Writer
mchinn@ius.edu