After nearly four long months of meals being served in Mellinger Commons in the CSB, Monmouth students are returning to the Stockdale Center dining room. Following the fire in Stockdale on October 6, 2022, all meal and mail services had been moved to the CSB. With the help of Aramark employees, the generosity of local businesses, and the Monmouth College community, the campus was able to come together to face this unexpected dilemma the best that they could. Now, as the Stockdale dining room reopens and more repairs are done to the building, we are on the road to normalcy once again.
While many Monmouth College students are looking forward to the return to Stockdale, it is important to note that the inside of the dining room will not look the same as it once did. “There has been a great deal of work in the dining room to prepare for the return on the first,” says Karen Ogorzalek, dean of students. “There is still work to be done, so everything will not be ‘as it was’ just yet.” Examples of differences in the dining room are a lack of ceiling tiles, leaving the roof of the building exposed, and a temporary heating system that takes up a few of the windows on the West side of the building.
As for food options and events, Ogorzalek stated in a campus-wide email Monday evening that “Similar meal selections and stations will be open, including a full salad bar and soup station” as well as the fact that “the waffle station is back in place and Penny will be making omelets during breakfast.” Dining services also has a multitude of events planned for the month of February which can be seen on the dining calendar included in Ogorzalek’s email. Some of these events include a sushi day on February 15 and breakfast for dinner on February 17.
To continue to make a difference in dining services, students are encouraged to share their opinions and suggestions to the Scots Student Senate.
Mia Martino – Staff Writer
