Students coming to Ohio University this year were greeted with two new buildings: McDavis Hall, now the largest residence hall on campus, and Shively Grab-and-Go, a new dining option.
McDavis Hall, named for President Emeritus Roderick J. McDavis, opened just in time for the fall term. The hall, which has five stories and 591 beds, is also home to shared kitchens as well as numerous conference and study rooms.
President Lori Stewart Gonzalez said during her State of the University address on Sept. 9 that President Emeritus McDavis and his wife, Deborah, will be visiting the university later in the month for the official grand opening of the residence hall.
In the same address, Gonzalez emphasized the importance of McDavis Hall for OU.
“The facility reflects our commitment to providing modern, supportive environments where students can live, learn and thrive,” Gonzalez said.
Ally Schatzer, assistant director of communications, marketing and engagement for Housing and Residence Life, commented on the excitement of having students living in McDavis Hall this semester.
“McDavis Hall is a culmination of student feedback and voices, and it is exciting to see years of planning, student feedback sessions and almost two years of construction come to life with our first residents,” Schatzer wrote in an email. “It’s been exciting to see students making McDavis Hall their home.”
Kiara Skeels, a freshman at OU studying pre-med, is living in McDavis Hall and said she was very excited to have the opportunity. One of the benefits, according to Skeels, is that the bathrooms are all single-user and very spacious.
According to Schatzer, some work on the exterior of the University is ongoing, but the building and many of the amenities were ready when the semester began.
“McDavis Hall was ready for students when the first residents arrived in early August,” Schatzer wrote in an email. “While some additional exterior work has continued as the University completes the outdoor spaces, those areas, including the Adirondack chairs, swings, amphitheater, green space and benches, are already available for students to enjoy. Overall, the building and its amenities were ready for students to move in and begin the semester.”
The floors are another thing that Skeels said she enjoys about McDavis.
“I love the flooring because it's not tile,” Skeels said. “It's like fake wood, but it's super nice because it's so easy to vacuum as well and stuff. It’s not getting stuck, for example, on a tile where some things are stuck and you have to scrub it.”
At the beginning of the school year, there were reported issues within McDavis regarding access to hot water. Schatzer addressed the issues saying they had no relation to the building's infrastructure.
“Shortly after move-in, Housing was made aware that some students in McDavis Hall had reported concerns regarding hot water access; these concerns were quickly remedied and were unrelated to the building’s overall infrastructure,” Schatzer wrote in an email.
The second of OU’s newest commodities is the Shively Hall Grab-n-Go, a contactless order-ahead dining hall.
The Grab-n-Go provides students with three different varieties of food, including Italian, Mediterranean and hibachi.
Shively Hall Grab-n-Go is closed on Saturdays, but is open from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Sundays, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays and 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Autumn Ryder, director of culinary services at OU, wrote in an email that students seem to be enjoying the new dining option, with about 1,800 students being served each day.
The Grab-n-Go style, as well as the food offerings, are a new concept for university culinary. Ryder commented on why the three food options were chosen.
“The three concepts, Mediterranean, Italian and Teppan (Hibachi), were selected based on a variety of factors, including feedback from students about the menu items and concepts they would like to see as part of the program, as well as emerging food trends and the creativity of the Culinary Services chef team,” Ryder wrote in an email.
Ryder said that between the three offerings, Teppan, or hibachi, has been the most popular among students so far this year.
The Grab-n-Go, according to Ryder, will be hosting its official grand opening on Wednesday, Sept. 16. At that time, students will be able to tour the venue and check out the offerings.
Peter Wilson, a junior at OU studying English, said that while he did not think the university needed another dining option, he does enjoy what Shively has to offer.
According to Wilson, there seems to be little interest in the Mediterranean station and suggested switching it out for a sandwich option, similar to what West 82 offers.
“I think I’d prefer if they swapped the Mediterranean option for something else,” Wilson said. “Every time I look, there's waits for the hibachi and the Italian place with the calzones, but never for the Mediterranean food.”
