Janelle Patterson
jp004@marietta.edu
The Chlapaty Cafe, known to some as the bagel company, used to bustle with life. Until this semester, Marietta College students could be seen laughing with friends during a lunch break or ordering a sandwich on the go before their work-study jobs. In addition, the cafe would be teeming with athletes grabbing a healthy dinner in between practice and night class.
Now, Marietta College and Parkhurst, the catering service under contract with the school since 2012, made the defining change over the summer break to remove the meal exchange option from the café. According to cafe employee Timmy Patterson, the cafe serves approximately 200 students per day in contrast to 600 per day last year. They also chose to redistribute manpower by creating a late-night dining option at Izzy’s, the burger restaurant located in the basement of Andrews Hall. However, this option is available only at the cost of students’ declining balance.
The decisions were made reportedly in response to students’ comments and feedback and to address the rising costs of operation.
“One of the main reasons was because of budgetary concerns,” Emily Drabeck, student government representative and member of the campus concerns committee said. “This year was the only year that the meal plan did not increase, although tuition increased. Also, though I don’t really understand this reasoning, it was said that the bagel place was never intended to be a typical place where students were to get a meal.”
When approached about the heated issue, General Manager of Parkhurst John Shaffer explained that the move was driven by the administration.
“If [the college] wanted these places open 24 hours, I would do it,” he said.
Vice President for Student Life Dr. Robert Pastoor clarified that the changes were strategic and that adding late night hours at Izzy’s was to get students more involved with Pioneer Activities Council programming which often occurs there.
“I think that the key here is that all of the changes were made so that students could have a place to come and eat during the events with PAC,” said Pastoor.
When asked why so many opportunities to use meal exchanges was taken away, Shaffer responded, “nothing got taken away; just the way that you have to do things is different.”
“It really was a positive decision, as we see that venue grow back into the place it was intended to be again,” Shaffer explained.
Both Shaffer and Pastoor cite long lines and design flaws as the reason for removing the meal exchange from Chlapaty.
“First and foremost, [the café] is not designed to be a dining hall,” said Shaffer. “The reason folks did meal exchange there was because at peak times Gilman could not hold everybody. Having meal exchange up there was causing constant feedback about the lines being too long and about outside business not getting even the chance to happen there.”
Reasons for the change may not have been fully communicated to all parties involved.
“Everybody was complaining last year about us not being fast enough and the lines being too long, and so that’s how they cut the lines down,” Angela Davis, a Parkhurst café employee, said. “Plus, the staff complaints from the library [saying] that it was noisy led to the change. They wanted quiet [in the cafe] and so that’s how they decided to fix it.”
However, some library staff implied that they didn’t mind the activity in the cafe.
“The issue with us had been – which did get addressed – was the smell of the food that was wafting in here,” Reference and Access Service Librarian Peter Thayer said. “But that was resolved due to a ventilation problem. Does it get loud in here? Yes, but that means that there are people in here and that’s the purpose of the place.”
What students are saying about the change is far from positive, however.
“We’re not getting the flexibility and use out of the meal plan that we pay for,” Gene Neill, a student government representative said. “It offers inflexible timing for athletes who just don’t get the use out of their money like they used to. Overall it was just poorly communicated and even though it was made with the best intentions, it didn’t come off that way.”
Senior Tyler Baltzell is one student especially affected by the change.
“I, along with many other students, work off campus and generally do not get off until after 8 p.m.,” Baltzell said. “This makes it impossible to use a meal swipe for dinner on most days.”
Junior Pippa Marmorstein said the changes don’t align with her schedule either.
“I’m barely using my meal swipes anymore,” junior Pippa Marmorstein said. “Gilman isn’t open when I have time to eat. Because of my schedule it was easier just to run in and grab something in a bag than having to go into Gilman and make my own sandwich. Plus, I had more options for coffee to grab on the way to class with my meal at the cafe.”
To address these concerns and understand the needs of the student body, the Student Government Association asked Shaffer and Parkhurst’s Director of Retail Adria Handley to join them at their meeting on Sept. 15. Shaffer and Handley answered questions relating to meal swipe equivalent costs, weekend hour conflicts, and vegan versus vegetarian labeling at the dining facilities on campus. Shafer told those present that he is trying to ensure that students are getting the most value out of their meal plans. He also encouraged students to continue speaking with their representatives and to visit him on the second floor of the Gilman Student Center to address concerns about dietary needs and restrictions.
During the second week of September, SGA representatives set up a table outside of Gilman to encourage students to voice their general concerns. The group collected 140 comment cards from students. Of those, 110 were related to dining.
Student Body President Taylor Myers brought some of those concerns to Parkhurst in conjunction with the other representatives during the meeting and now plans to take further action representative of the requests of the student body.
