Student Union passed two resolutions Wednesday, one in support of student activism at Monday’s student protest of the University’s energy conference and another recommending that the Village extend its dining hours. Left, SU Senator Greg Schweizer urges Senate to pass the dining resolution and stir-fry, pending the approval of Bon Appétit management, right. (Matt Langer (center) and Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

Student Union Senate voted unanimously on Wednesday to pass a resolution to pilot extended dining hours in the Village. One of the main issues under discussion in the resolution is whether SU will compensate Bon Appétit for any monetary losses incurred as a result of the pilot.

Although most eateries on the South 40 are open until 3 a.m. on weekends, all food stations in the Village close at 8 p.m. except the grill station, which closes at midnight. One of the popular food services in the Village that closes at 8 p.m. is the stir-fry station.

In a recent SU survey, more than 55 percent of students and an average of 85 percent of North Side residents said they would likely purchase food from the Village between midnight and 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The survey also found that a majority of students supported extending dining hours for both the grill and stir-fry stations.

The SU resolution called for an extension of hours at the grill, which the resolution recommended stay open until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays for a seven-week trial period. The resolution also recommended that the stir-fry station be open until 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday for the trial period.

If Bon Appétit agrees with the recommendations, the pilot will run from the beginning of spring semester until spring break.

According to junior Greg Schweizer, outgoing chair of the Senate Campus Services committee and the SU Senator who has led the effort to extend Village dining hours, the main concern with the pilot is that Bon Appétit will lose money.

Several plans have been proposed to offset any monetary losses, including having SU subsidize the program. In the event that SU does this, the money would come from the student activities fee. This subsidization would last only for the extent of the trial period.

“The subsidy would be a last resort, but we are confident that they will recoup the money,” Schweizer said.

Nadeem Siddiqui, Bon Appétit’s resident district manager, said a Student Union subsidy is undesirable.

“The goal is that we don’t have to or shouldn’t have to do that,” Siddiqui said.

Bon Appétit also has the option of pulling out of the pilot at any point.

If at the end of the seven-week trial, Bon Appétit loses money but still wants to make the extended hours permanent, another option is for the organization to cut hours at other dining facilities on campus. Low-volume hours could be cut from campus eateries such as Whispers to fund an increase in hours at the Village.

Schweizer is optimistic about the extended hours at the Village.

“My expectation is that the pilot will be a success,” Schweizer said. “I think that come next year, there will be later hours in the Village.”

Sophomore Michael Laks said he would like extended hours. Laks often treks to the Village from the South 40 for stir-fry. Last week he waited a half hour for it.

“The hours should go longer because it’s so delicious,” Laks said. “Stir-fry should be available to students at all times of the day. It’s not the rare occasion that I need my fix of sesame and soy and the stir-fry station is closed.”

Freshman Tyler Trussell would also like extended hours.

“[The time the Village eateries close] seems kind of early. I usually don’t eat dinner until 8:30 or 9,” Trussell said.

Construction on the South 40 moves into Phase II, which includes College Hall and Eliot B. On Monday, ResLife and Dining Services representatives presented their vision for the South 40 to students. (Matt Lanter | Student Life)

“I understand that [the hole] is going to be a restaurant—dining area of some sort,” freshman Cameron Moubray said.

Some students, on the other hand, feel less clued in.

“I don’t know. I really don’t know,” freshman Annabella Chang said. “What is it going to be?”

In an effort to enlighten students about the future of the South 40, Student Union’s Campus Services Committee sponsored a “Dining and Construction Forum” on Monday night as part of Senate Outreach week.

Representatives from Dining Services and Residential Life at the forum discussed the second phase of the construction and beyond.

Following the completion of Umrath Hall and partial completion of the South 40 House in late August, the construction moves into Phase II, which is expected to bring radical changes to residential areas by fall 2010.

For one, the lower level of the South 40 House will be expanded into a permanent dining area five times the size of the current one.

The new dining area will also feature additional food options. A taquería and salad bar will be joining the currently available bakery, sandwich station and grill in the new dining area. In the meantime, the two stations reside in the temporary dining area on the upper level.

The new dining space will offer global cuisines such as Mongolian and Indian. The upper level will contain a kosher kitchen and office spaces.

A special chef’s kitchen will be added to the permanent dining facility. Students can reserve this space to host events like birthday parties and private dinners during which the chef will cook directly in front of students.

Chefs also plan to use this space to provide healthy cooking lessons for students that may be broadcasted through WUTube for any other interested students.

“[Students] come [to Washington University] for classes very far away from cooking, but there is a great amount of interest in healthy cooking,” Bon Appétit Executive Chef Gary Suarez said. “This is an opportunity to get together, teach a little and educate students on what we do here on campus.”

Bear Mart, currently located in the upper level of the South 40 House, will move downstairs. As part of the campaign for healthier eating and living, the new market will be similar to Whole Foods—selling more vegetables, fruits and homemade food and cutting down on processed food.

Connected to the South 40 House will be a new multipurpose area for student gatherings called College Hall. During regular hours, College Hall will serve as a seating area with flags for different residential colleges hanging from the ceiling. For special occasions, the space can accommodate events such as housing meetings and student group performances.

Outside the South 40 House, the asphalt driveway that currently divides the Swamp will be removed, and the Swamp will return to its original size.

Another addition to the South 40 will be a dorm near Eliot House, which the architects and administrators currently refer to as “Eliot B.” This new dorm, which will be named after a donor, will form a residential college with Eliot House.
The innovations for Phase II detailed above are not all that are in store for the South 40. Although plans to renovate Rubelmann Hall have been delayed due to the shortage of funding, the Office of Residential Life still intends to renovate the dorm in the near future, said Justin Carroll, associate vice chancellor and dean of students.

Connected to Umrath, the new Rubelmann will have storefronts for student activities on the lower floor and residential areas on the upper floors. If the financial situation allows, ResLife plans to renovate Beaumont and Lee halls as well.
Dick Kirschner of Mackey Mitchell Architects, the firm in charge of the South 40’s renovations, said he is excited for the construction’s end product.

“The whole idea is to create an urban space—an exciting neighborhood space,” Kirschner said.