Brough remodel hopes to relieve crowds
Dining hall to be upgraded over summer break
Nick DeMoss
Issue date: 12/1/08 Section: News
Long lines in the Brough Commons dining hall are a problem for the more than 1,500 students who live in nearby residence halls, but plans are being made to alleviate overcrowding in the most central dining hall on campus, according to the Facilities Management Planning Group's Web site.??
For some students, waiting in line to get the food they want just isn't worth it.??
"It's either wait for good food or eat bad food," sophomore Zach Fricke said.??
At certain points during the day, students have to wait in line for 10 minutes to get the food they want, sophomore James Willard said. ??
The dinner rush is the most common time for overcrowding, especially on chef's specialty nights, sophomore Johnathan Faught said.??
Instead of trying to fight the lines at dinner time, some students, such as freshman Brittany Brown, decide to make food in their residence hall rooms or take advantage of the "late night" meal equivalency plan, which allows students to use their meal plan to dine at fast food restaurants in the Arkansas Union.
The Facilities Management Planning Group has been working to fix the overcrowding problem, and a portion of Brough will be remodeled this summer, said Lisa Huff, director of Brough Commons.??
The process of planning the renovation has been more than a year in the making.
The Facilities Management Planning Group placed a notice to area architects in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in February 2007 and selected a Tulsa-area architecture firm to work with a Fort Smith firm in May of last year, according to the group's Web site.??
The remodeling will focus on reconfiguring the food lines and "really thinking about traffic flow," Huff said. ??
In addition to changing food lines, "the renovated, and possibly expanded, facility will add space for expanded retail operations, offices and multi-purpose program/meeting space," according to the Web site.
The facility also may house the Center for Students with Disabilities if space permits, according to the advertisement from the planning group.??
Student input also will be considered beginning in the spring semester, Huff said.?
For some students, waiting in line to get the food they want just isn't worth it.??
"It's either wait for good food or eat bad food," sophomore Zach Fricke said.??
At certain points during the day, students have to wait in line for 10 minutes to get the food they want, sophomore James Willard said. ??
The dinner rush is the most common time for overcrowding, especially on chef's specialty nights, sophomore Johnathan Faught said.??
Instead of trying to fight the lines at dinner time, some students, such as freshman Brittany Brown, decide to make food in their residence hall rooms or take advantage of the "late night" meal equivalency plan, which allows students to use their meal plan to dine at fast food restaurants in the Arkansas Union.
The Facilities Management Planning Group has been working to fix the overcrowding problem, and a portion of Brough will be remodeled this summer, said Lisa Huff, director of Brough Commons.??
The process of planning the renovation has been more than a year in the making.
The Facilities Management Planning Group placed a notice to area architects in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in February 2007 and selected a Tulsa-area architecture firm to work with a Fort Smith firm in May of last year, according to the group's Web site.??
The remodeling will focus on reconfiguring the food lines and "really thinking about traffic flow," Huff said. ??
In addition to changing food lines, "the renovated, and possibly expanded, facility will add space for expanded retail operations, offices and multi-purpose program/meeting space," according to the Web site.
The facility also may house the Center for Students with Disabilities if space permits, according to the advertisement from the planning group.??
Student input also will be considered beginning in the spring semester, Huff said.?
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