Eating in comfort (and style!).

Though changes in Dining aren’t as drastic as last year’s, some business is going on, and we think there are some bits in here you’ll like.

• JJ will offer new items such as “sandwiches and sliders at the Pizza Station, and new specialty burger and sandwich options at the grill.”
• JJ’s Place will have expanded hours on Thursday through Saturday, from 12-8pm.
• Some more booths have been set up in Ferris Booth Commons.
• John Jay has been refurbished with new chairs, new light fixtures, and a newly painted white ceiling meant to add light to the dining hall. This sounds dramatic, but we snuck in for pictures and were pretty underwhelmed. (see below)
• The Nescafe machine that loved and left us is back! (see farther below) Read more…

• The council spent most of the time before the election discussing the current dining survey, and the results so far. Common student complaints on the survey included the extensive crowding of Ferris, especially on the weekends, the lack of takeout in JJs, and confusion with the new Eco-Token system.

• As of now, students are split 50-50 over whether John Jay or Ferris should be open on the weekends. ESC is working with CCSC to prepare a dinning report to inform students of the results of the dinning survey, and what the councils are doing to address student concerns.

• VP Internal Carla Williams spoke about implementing either an Instant-Runoff Voting (IRV) or Single Transferable Vote (STV) system for council elections. Both systems are preferential voting systems that would prevent ties in council elections.

• Academic Affairs Representatives Patrick Han resigned tonight for personal reasons. This brings the number of unoccupied spots on council to 2, as the council also decided to postpone the election of a new Alumni Affairs Representative.

• Council members voted to allow freshmen to enter the SEAS New York lottery. SEAS New York, which allows SEAS students to attend various cultural events, in the past only allowed upperclassman (or second semester freshmen) to participate because freshman were able to enter into a similar lottery, Urban New York, which was canceled this semester.

What’s that, Barnard students? You were excited about the opening of the Vag Diana? Looking forward to all the exciting new dining options, such as “a state-of-the-art dining room and Liz’s Place, an expanded and improved-upon replacement for Java City.” Well, even if you weren’t giddy with anticipation, you’ll have to spend some money there: following Spec‘s report from yesterday, Barnard has officially announced that it will be requiring all students to participate in at least a limited meal plan.

According to an email from Dean of the College Dorothy Denburg, each year will have fewer and fewer requirements: first-years will “receive” (buy) unlimited meals and 250 dining points, while seniors will only have to chip in for 400 dining points. Sophomores living on the quad, though, will no longer have to renew the unlimited meal plan; their count will be limited to “only” 150 meals per semester. To encourage using the meal points, Barnard is “providing a five percent bonus amount to all dining points, making purchases economical as well as convenient.”

Wait, you wanted some justification, some reasoning for the change? Denburg’s email only devotes one sentence to that area, writing that “sharing food and conversation is a tried and true way of building community, and I think we are all excited about the increased opportunities that the Diana provides for us to come together.” Whether administrators are also okay with the Barnard community coming together in opposition to the new plan sadly went unaddressed. Full email after the jump.

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Dining would like to remind you that the heady days of freshmen’s Columbia Points are no more. This year, the points were abolished in favor of Dining Dollars for all. Really! The dining website says so.

Besides having a marginally less embarrassing name, the only advantage of Dining Dollars is that they don’t expire at the end of the year. But that’s a pretty important advantage. Freshmen, let it be known: you don’t have to spend your 200 remaining dollars over the next ten days on an unhealthy amount of sushi and those godawful apple cinnamon rice cakes from JJ’s. Save it for next year’s sophomore slump, when choosing a major drives you to eat your stress away.

Photo via quakeroats.com

Screen shot of “Wilma’s Anthem”

“To the left, to the left. When your omelet’s done it’ll be to the left” rings the creative chorus of “Wilma’s Anthem,” a YouTube music video made by two Columbia students to celebrate their John Jay dining experience. 

Though there’s no way to be sure, Bwog assumes this video and three other celebrations of dining joy would never have seen the light of the world wide web if it weren’t for Dining’s facebook-based video contest, going on right now on the Dining Services facebook group. The lure of the grand prize for the best (50 free John Jay meals for each contributor) has prompted four groups of students to create their own new, special way to say “I heart John Jay.”

Though all of the submissions make use of a popular song, not every group produced such a masterpiece of coordinated dancing and karaoke-esque singing as “Wilma’s Anthem.” “Addiction” is more of a short film, where in the darkness of the gated alley between Hartley and Wallach an angry kid with a flashlight confronts his friend about a dangerous addiction… to John Jay.

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The weekly ESC meeting never fails to provide all sorts of drama. Bwog’s Drama Junkie Sean Zimmermann was on hand last night to lap it up.

Good Samaritan policies, smoking rules, wifi in class rooms, and dining services changes were among the major topics discussed at this evening’s ESC meeting, the last of which triggering one of the more heated discussions in ESC this year.

Administrators are discussing a new idea to make the entire campus within the gates completely smoke-free, with six designated smoking areas around the campus perimeter. As of now, smoking is prohibited in all buildings and within 50 feet of the entrances, though the policy is generally not enforced unless someone complains. Read more…