Administrators of University Hall canceled the two-year contract with Aramark for room services, due to a lack of interest.
Administrators reviewed the usage of the feature, which allowed for residents to call for room service, and discovered few requests. Food included all of the selections available at Ramshead, the Diner and Lawrence Dining Hall.
University Hall began the trial run of the service as a way for Residence Life and Housing to determine the popularity of this program, which could extend into the services provided in other residence halls. Administers wanted to offer the service in affiliated housing, and selected University Hall as the residents are upperclassman.
With the location of the affiliated housing, another debate was the close proximity to the buildings with dining services. University Hall is located between Sykes Student Union and the Lawrence Dining Hall.
Several students who had requested the room services said they were surprised to see the services end. They wished to not be named after they admitted they used the service because they are lazy and they “don’t want to walk all the way over to grab food.”
Administrators believed the number of requests would “skyrocket” during the winter months. According to the documented statistics, the service was not taken advantage of during the cold weather days.
Room service developed as a suggestion from students as a way to have late night food delivered to their rooms. The program also allowed students to use their meal plan. After the snow storms from three years ago, the service was finally put to test. Much to the surprise of the coordinators, even when the snow came this year, the calls for room service requests did not come.
Resident Assistants held floor meetings to ask residents why they did not use the room services. Most of the students present said that they were content with making Ramen Noodle soup in their room. Ramen Noodle soup is the most popular snack found in a college dormitory.
The contract ends in May and would have to be renewed in September. The final decision to not re-new the contact also held as leverage to cancel the existing contract. With Governor Tom Corbett’s pending budget cuts, staff realized the service would be among the first cuts made by the university.
Ginger Rae Dunbar is a fifth-year student majoring in being the Editor-in-Chief of The Quad with minors in Phi Mu and Public Safety. She can and will always be able to be reached at The Quad office-even when she graduates.