Before students really settle in to a new semester, the dining facilities on campus are always crowded, and there are always glitches to be worked out. This year, with Woodworth Plaza closed for expansion and renovation, these problems are more abundant — and more of a hassle to students and service workers.
Dining Services administrators have been trying to cover for the lost dining hall, but the solutions in place now have led to decreased options and convenience for students at lunchtime and many full-time Dining Services employees dropping to part-time positions or changing jobs entirely.
A facility closure on this scale will, of course, cause problems and inconveniences to everyone. However, looking at the rigorous physical changes Ball State has in store — especially with the Woodworth project being just one of many residence and dining hall construction projects already in the works — it becomes clear that more student- and employee-focused solutions should be sought.
Consider that the Atrium is closed to meal plan holders during the two busiest hours of the lunch period.
While the university has increased the cashier capacity of Noyer Complex and made some attempts to push students toward their other dining options, there is only so much redirecting can do. Without temporary facilities that can handle the kind of traffic Woodworth typically got for lunch, students inevitably end up waiting in longer lines, losing meal options or having fewer places to sit, and employees end up back in training programs.
Knowing the closure of such a necessary facility was on the horizon, the university could have prepared a temporary lunch-cart option near Woodworth or found a way to keep a part of the dining hall open throughout the project, in addition to the band aid solutions in place now. That level of preparation is necessary to make university improvements as painless for students and employees as possible.
So with the advance planning of all construction projects, the university should have time to figure out the accommodations it will make during future closures for the most important people it has to consider — students and employees. But the administration has to be ready to start planning now.
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