The campus ‘Master Plan’ doesn’t make room for food
Soon, students will have to look elsewhere to get their Taco Bell fix.
Starting in Spring 2009, demolition of the University Center, which houses Taco Bell, will begin. This is part of the university̢۪s Master Plan, a 10-year strategy that details changes to the university̢۪s buildings and infrastructure, such as Campus Pointe and the expanded Henry Madden Library.
Taco Bell, The Bucket and The Vintage Room will have to be transferred to another location or, if there is no location available, those services will be removed from campus. The Food Services Committee is currently discussing its options.
“We’re in talks about where to move them, but it’s been difficult finding a new location. There is really no room left in the Master Plan,â€Â Brent Hansen, marketing coordinator for Auxiliary Corporations, said.
From food to Free Speech
The University Center is being demolished so that the size of the Free Speech Area can be increased, said Tom Gaffery, Administrative Project Coordinator for the Office of the Vice President for Administration.
“It’s being demolished to make way for the Free Speech Plaza, which will link the library, Peace Garden, Free Speech Area and Rose Garden and make it into one cohesive outdoor space,â€Â Gaffery said.
If Taco Bell and the others are removed, there will only be Panda Express, Subway and Chick-fil-A left on a campus with over 22,000 students, giving them scarce food options. The lines and demand are already high for these restaurants and they may increase if Taco Bell is gone, according to Hansen.
“We are looking at logistics in how lines will operate. We will probably see an influx in business at our other venues,â€Â Hansen said.
“No space”
The committee is well aware of how this will affect students.
“They will probably be disappointed and upset. We are disappointed as well, but we’re trying to counteract that. We are looking at grab-and-go ideas to try and balance things out,â€Â Hansen said.
Freshman Kashoua Thao thinks that the lines are already too crowded.
“The lines, especially for Subway, are always long and sometimes there is only one person cashiering,â€Â Thao said.
Hansen said that there is no plan to bring any more fast-food restaurants to campus anytime soon. It̢۪s not part of the Master Plan and it can be a long process. It usually takes a year and it requires identifying potential vendors, talking with them, having them visit the campus and eventually creating contracts.
“It’s really a logistics issue, not a financial issue,â€Â Hansen said. “We would like to give more food options to students. There’s just no space for it.â€Â
jsv • Oct 16, 2008 at 8:27 am
Looking at the comments above i agree with you all, especially about pushing students to campus pointe. That is probably the case. The problem with that idea is that campus pointe is so far a way as well as it wont be up and running for a long time. God we have stupid campus officials. Students want something easily accessible not off campus at campus pointe. What imbeciles we have working at the university.
jsv • Oct 16, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Looking at the comments above i agree with you all, especially about pushing students to campus pointe. That is probably the case. The problem with that idea is that campus pointe is so far a way as well as it wont be up and running for a long time. God we have stupid campus officials. Students want something easily accessible not off campus at campus pointe. What imbeciles we have working at the university.
jsv • Oct 16, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Looking at the comments above i agree with you all, especially about pushing students to campus pointe. That is probably the case. The problem with that idea is that campus pointe is so far a way as well as it wont be up and running for a long time. God we have stupid campus officials. Students want something easily accessible not off campus at campus pointe. What imbeciles we have working at the university.
Devin • Oct 15, 2008 at 11:52 am
I am very disappointed that they “don’t have room” for these food places in the master plan. First we lost Round Table, and now i lose Taco Bell! I think this is a horrible decision. Eating on campus is going to be a major hassel if the choices are cut to only three places. Not good planning on the campuses part.
Devin • Oct 15, 2008 at 6:52 pm
I am very disappointed that they “don’t have room” for these food places in the master plan. First we lost Round Table, and now i lose Taco Bell! I think this is a horrible decision. Eating on campus is going to be a major hassel if the choices are cut to only three places. Not good planning on the campuses part.
Devin • Oct 15, 2008 at 6:52 pm
I am very disappointed that they “don’t have room” for these food places in the master plan. First we lost Round Table, and now i lose Taco Bell! I think this is a horrible decision. Eating on campus is going to be a major hassel if the choices are cut to only three places. Not good planning on the campuses part.
they don't care • Oct 15, 2008 at 9:59 am
Don’t believe Hansen’s spin. Listen to what he is saying. “We would like to give more food options to students. There’s just no space for it.” He acts as if this is being done to them not the students. “We’re in talks about where to move them.” The master plan was finalized a year ago and there were meetings for several years about the plans before that. Why didn’t Astone at Auxiliary and the administration address the food issue then? It is disingenuous to express this deep concern about the issue now when nothing was done before. There are 2 possible reasons for this fiasco. 1) The powers that be really didn’t consider the ramifications of tearing down 3 of the food choices for students and didn’t try and come up with solutions until now. That would make them incompetent. 2) They don’t really care if there are sufficient food options on campus for students. There is 1 other option. Debbie Astone recently said that there will eventually be some food options at campus pointe. Could this be part of an effort to push students and staff out to their pet project by eliminating other options? Perhaps the Collegian can ask Hansen which one of these is the answer.
they don't care • Oct 15, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Don’t believe Hansen’s spin. Listen to what he is saying. “We would like to give more food options to students. There’s just no space for it.” He acts as if this is being done to them not the students. “We’re in talks about where to move them.” The master plan was finalized a year ago and there were meetings for several years about the plans before that. Why didn’t Astone at Auxiliary and the administration address the food issue then? It is disingenuous to express this deep concern about the issue now when nothing was done before. There are 2 possible reasons for this fiasco. 1) The powers that be really didn’t consider the ramifications of tearing down 3 of the food choices for students and didn’t try and come up with solutions until now. That would make them incompetent. 2) They don’t really care if there are sufficient food options on campus for students. There is 1 other option. Debbie Astone recently said that there will eventually be some food options at campus pointe. Could this be part of an effort to push students and staff out to their pet project by eliminating other options? Perhaps the Collegian can ask Hansen which one of these is the answer.
they don't care • Oct 15, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Don’t believe Hansen’s spin. Listen to what he is saying. “We would like to give more food options to students. There’s just no space for it.” He acts as if this is being done to them not the students. “We’re in talks about where to move them.” The master plan was finalized a year ago and there were meetings for several years about the plans before that. Why didn’t Astone at Auxiliary and the administration address the food issue then? It is disingenuous to express this deep concern about the issue now when nothing was done before. There are 2 possible reasons for this fiasco. 1) The powers that be really didn’t consider the ramifications of tearing down 3 of the food choices for students and didn’t try and come up with solutions until now. That would make them incompetent. 2) They don’t really care if there are sufficient food options on campus for students. There is 1 other option. Debbie Astone recently said that there will eventually be some food options at campus pointe. Could this be part of an effort to push students and staff out to their pet project by eliminating other options? Perhaps the Collegian can ask Hansen which one of these is the answer.
jacko • Oct 15, 2008 at 8:41 am
That is stupid. Free speech area that nobody uses except psycho preachers. Why dont they build a two story building put the dang restaurants on the second floor overlooking the student union. Now that would be great.
jacko • Oct 15, 2008 at 3:41 pm
That is stupid. Free speech area that nobody uses except psycho preachers. Why dont they build a two story building put the dang restaurants on the second floor overlooking the student union. Now that would be great.
jacko • Oct 15, 2008 at 3:41 pm
That is stupid. Free speech area that nobody uses except psycho preachers. Why dont they build a two story building put the dang restaurants on the second floor overlooking the student union. Now that would be great.