Table Talk

The College is midway through a $1 million facelift for the dining facilities in the Haupert Union Building, the principal gathering place of the campus community.

The first half of the project, completed in a five-week push over the holiday break, is a spiffed-up dining hall that serves students on the College’s board plan.

The second half, a renovation of the Food Court on the opposite side of the central kitchen, will begin its makeover in May.

Dining hall improvements include a new paint job, new furniture (including circular tables designed for parties of six and small square tables for parties of three or four), new and different food stations in two locations, and a large circular salad bar.

Mark Kopenhaver, director of food services, said one reason for the makeover, including the additional food choices and the smaller number of seats at the tables, had to do with the gender mix of the College, which has had a 60/40 ratio of women to men for the last several years. “Women are far more discriminating diners than the guys are,” he said.

The Wood Company (the College’s food service provider) and the College are sharing the cost of the dining facilities’ makeover.