With the highest number of students back on campus since March 2020, Mount Holyoke College has made several changes to accommodate the surge in activity while protecting students’ safety. The most striking of these changes is perhaps in Dining Services, where dining rooms have closed and a takeout-only policy has been adopted. The Dining Commons are no longer a hub of social activity. Instead, students file through the dining center in one direction, stopping at stations where dining staff serve them under plastic barriers.
Dining Services Navigates Reopening on a De-Densified Campus
“Safety is hands down the goal but having great food needs to happen, especially during stressful and challenging times,” Richard Perna, director of Dining Services at Mount Holyoke College said. According to Perna, the past five months have been challenging for the dining staff, who have been constantly navigating and pivoting in response to COVID-19.