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Two students’ thoughts on the dining halls

(Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell) “Fox Hall is home to one of UMass Lowell’s main dining halls.”

 

Maxwell Valin

Connector Editor

 

Every fall semester, one of the most frequent points of discussion among students (new and returning) is the food in the on-campus dining halls. More specifically, the quality of the food, the variety of options, and the service are all consistently brought up and held under scrutiny by River Hawks who want their provided meals to be the best they can be. So, what do UMass Lowell students like, dislike, and wish to see more of in our dining halls? The Connector interviewed two newcomers to on-campus living to get their first impressions, and their takes on the matter.

 

“So far, I would say, the omelets have been excellent,” said James Reagan, when asked what his favorite food offered at the dining halls is. “Those would be at the top of the list, but coming in at a close second would be the stir-fry bowl. [The staff] does a great job with that.” In response to the same question, student Ryan Valin said in agreement that he thinks “the omelets are great,” and that “the burgers at Sizzle are really good.” The pair each noted that their favorite foods were relatively consistent in quality.

 

Their remarks about UMass Lowell’s on-campus food options didn’t stop there. Many students around the university often have gripes with some of the quality or options, and neither James nor Ryan were exceptions to this rule. When commenting on improvements that could be made to the dining hall, Reagan expressed that “if they switched it up every so often, that would be good… if they rotated food choices in and out, it might make the students feel like there are more interesting options.” To this same question, Valin said that “sometimes the quality of the chicken isn’t great, and [it] could be done better.” 

 

The final question the students responded to, after airing any grievances they had with the current food situation, was about any fun additions or changes that could be made to make things more interesting or convenient around the dining halls. As he described his wishes for the dining hall, Reagan included that “perhaps a steak night now and then would be nice… maybe steak and lobster, as a cool or nicer meal here and there.” He also said, “Maybe a Chipotle-style offering once in a while would be nice to have, just to change it up.” Valin was adamant about his recommendation: “they should have take-out boxes. It would be nice to be able to bring food from the dining hall back to the dorm room, and I know other schools have them, and that would make all the difference. Definitely, takeout boxes.” 

 

UMass Lowell has two primary, full-sized dining halls, those being Fox Dining Commons on East Campus and South Dining Commons in the McGauvran Center on South Campus. In addition to these options, there are a variety of other food pickup spots around campus, including two Rowdy’s on the Fly locations, two Starbucks chains, and more.



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