Dining Commons courtesy of Jenny Yu ‘24.
Hope Frances Simpson ’24
Staff Writer
“There is no eating anywhere in Blanchard Hall or the Great Room until further notice,” Marcella Runell Hall, dean of students, wrote in an email sent out on Jan. 21.
Other dining hall updates listed in the email took effect on Jan. 18. Students with Accessibility accommodations will be allowed to sit in the dining hall, while all other students are required to eat in dorms or outside until further notice. Mount Holyoke employees are also not allowed dining hall access until further notice. The meal plan will remain the same and commuter students may purchase meal swipes on the dining hall website.
Students in isolation have access to the Beacon Room, located in the dining commons, through an outside exit. While they won’t have access to the main dining hall, there will be a variety of meal options for students to pick from. These students are expected to enter and exit through this entrance only, so as not to come into contact with students and staff in the dining hall.
Kendade Grab n’ Go is set for tentative reopening on Feb. 14, while the Frances Perk Cafe is set for Feb. 7. Students will not be allowed to eat in public spaces following these reopenings, according to an email from Executive Director of Auxiliary Services, Richard Perna.
Perna also noted that the Cochary Pub will remain closed due to staffing shortages, but there are plans to open it later in the semester. Dining Services will also plan to start a pilot program for student athlete meal pick up in response to meal issues brought to the SGA’s attention last semester. This pilot program aims to rectify this problem, but there was no further information in the Jan. 25 email from Dining Services.