After years of serving meals to Ohio University students, one of four dining halls will be closing its doors indefinitely.
Starting Fall Semester 2013, Jefferson Dining Hall will close, leaving students to choose from the three remaining dining venues on campus — Nelson Court, Shively Court and Boyd Dining Hall — for meal options. Jefferson Market will not be affected.
“The decision to close Jefferson was made simply due to the dwindling average count of students going there,” said Rich Neumann, director of residential dining.
“Jeff (Dining Hall) served an average of 3,500 meals in five days, compared to Shively, which averages 4,200 meals in one day from Monday through Friday.”
Closing the dining hall will not cause a financial backlash for the university, said Gwyn Scott, associate vice president for auxiliaries.
“For a short period of time, having Jeff close isn’t a problem,” she added.
For students who have a meal plan, Shively Court will open on Sundays starting Fall Semester to take on the hours Jeff Dining Hall had, Neumann said.
There is no set budget for future renovation plans for the dining hall and its space, said Ryan Lombardi, vice president for student affairs.
“Renovations as opposed to construction are more flexible,” Lombardi said.
“There are no written plans right now. From what I understand, Jeff will not be a traditional dining hall. It’s an idea that should be explored.”
One idea that was previously discussed was the possibility of bringing outside vendors such as Taco Bell into the space. However, Culinary Services ruled out that option, Scott said.
Right now, 75 students are employed in Jeff Dining Hall.
“We are giving (new job) priority to those who expressed interest in staying with us,” Neumann said. “(The) 45 students who want to continue working will still have their jobs.”
Relocating the employees will not be a problem, Scott said.
“We have a very large student employment program at Culinary Services,” she said. “With 700 open positions, it will not be an issue.”
Even though Jefferson Dining Hall will be renovated in the future, there are currently no design plans and the space will remain closed for now, said Brian Thompson, director of auxiliaries.
“Our current focus is on other renovation projects,” Thompson said. “Jeff is out for a couple years. We’ll involve student input in our operation.”
Design plans for a renovated Boyd Dining Hall are expected to begin Fall 2013, Thompson said.
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