Hello Champions! Happy Tuesday! I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful summer weather, I know that I love the warm weather. I am enjoying every minute I am spending outside in the sunshine(excluding todays rainy weather of course).
Today I wanted to talk to you all about our Dining Services here on campus. While a lot of the information that I will be talking about is information that is talked a lot about on campus tours, I want to just give you all a quick refresh! On our campus, we are very lucky that we are not limited to only one place that students are able to get food from. Not only do we have our main Dining Hall, but we do also have 4 other places on campus that are run by Dining Services. We have our Ely Harvest(located right next to the gym) which is really like a more healthy version of Subway. Students can get fresh healthy options, and that includes smoothies. The smoothies from Ely Harvest are a student favorite here on campus. I know for most people, their day gets instantly better when they get a smoothie from Ely Harvest.
We also have our Marketplace. The best way to describe the Marketplace is a gas station without the gas. It has the convenience store items that you will find in a gas station. I know I love running to the Marketplace to fill my backpack up with granola bars before I go to class. We also have the Owl Cafe located in Wilson Hall. The Owl Cafe gives off very Starbucks vibes, serving signature drinks and also breakfast foods. It is a great spot to go and grab coffee when students have classes in Wilson Hall.
Our last place on campus that is run by Dining Services is Tim and Jeanne’s Bistro. This is for sure my favorite. They serve rice bowls for lunch, and I will go the long way back to my room just to get one. They have grab and go options for students for both breakfast and lunch. I also would never say no to grabbing a breakfast sandwich from here either.
Along with these options for food, I saved the best for last to tell you all about. Dunkin. The holy grail. The reason I am okay with having 8:15 classes. The reason I have survived 3 years worth of finals. Fun fact, the Dunkin that we have on campus is only open for the school year, and it still manages to be the top grossing Dunkin in the city of Westfield. I 100% have contributed to that(a bit too much money has gone to Dunkin). I do not care if I have to run to my class in order to make it on time as long as I have a Dunkin coffee in my hand before I walk into the classroom. So, if you want to give your students anything before dropping them off on move-in day, Dunkin gift cards are a must. My Gram gives me one before I start every semester.
There is lots of confusion around two different types of payment options offered here on campus. Our first is Dining Dollars. Each student is given a certain amount of Dining Dollars depending on the dining plan that you select when student bills are sent out. Dining Dollars can be used at the Ely Harvest, Marketplace, Owl Cafe, and the Bistro(they cannot be used at Dunkin). Our other form of payment that students can also use are called Owl Bucks. These can be used at Dunkin. They can also be used at our on campus dining locations. But, with Owl Bucks, it is like a debit card. Owl Bucks can be used off Campus in Westfield! Students can even go to stores off campus and use them. I will provide you all with the link to the list of off campus locations where Owl Bucks are accepted!
Owl Bucks are connected to your students account and they can be reloaded at any time! So another great gift idea before shipping your student off to college, is putting some money on their account. Also a great idea to make your student call you, bribe them with owl bucks. It will pay for their Dunkin. Of course, the necessities.
Hopefully this has been a quick reminder for you all about different food options for your students to eat on campus. Now, in case they tell you that there is nothing to eat on campus, you have the knowledge to prove them wrong.
Another quick thing to add, parents eat free in the Dining Hall! So if you come by for a visit, make your student bring you to the Dining Hall for lunch!
See you all soon!
-Lindsey
Lindsey Bak(She/Her/Hers)
Student Coordinator of the Champions Network
Residential Assistant – University Hall
Class of 2023