Brennan LaBrie and Gurjot Kang
News Editor and Reporter
Perhaps no building on campus has seen more changes during the last few weeks than the Anderson University Center. On March 16, Gov. Inslee ordered that all restaurants cease sit-down service and offer take-out service only. This not only applies to campus restaurants like the Commons and OMM, but their adjoining spaces, including all of the AUC.
Because of this rule, the extensive sitting area at the Commons remains nearly empty, and it was common for a few days to see people leave the all-you-can-eat meals with up to six boxes of food. On March 17, all-you-can-eat meals were canceled.
Employees sit by the main entrance to the dining hall to spray peoples’ hands with sanitizer fluid, a policy implemented after hand sanitizer stations went largely unused. Signs sit at the south entrance to the dining hall, asking students to use the main north entrance. Sometimes an employee guards the entrance as well. The salad, fruit, cereal and bagel bars have moved into the “Chef’s Table” room, where a worker serves what you desire to avoid cross-contaminating tongs and other utensils.
The dining hall itself remains eerily empty as no students may eat in the AUC. Prior to Gov. Inslee’s March 16 order, the Commons was actively implementing changes every day to maintain safety, from wrapping apples in plastic to rotating tongs at the salad bar every two hours, according to Erin McGinnis, Associate Vice President for Hospitality and Retail Services Dining and Culinary Services.
“We were trying to control and mitigate damage,” McGinnis said. She and her team meet every day at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the everchanging information they receive and “how best to translate new regulations for PLU and implement safe practices and services.”
“I’ve been in more meetings in the last week than I’ve been in my whole life,” she said.
The loss of student workers who returned home hasn’t made this process easier, but McGinnes said that other student workers taking on more hours has made it manageable.
“We’ve been able to balance it; it’s a day by day juggle,” she said.
In consideration of students who are unable to go home or need to rely on campus housing and meals for the rest of the semester, residence halls and dining services will remain open for the entirety of the school year to provide support. Additionally, according to the Office of the President, there will be “an equitable plan to refund a portion of the costs of room and board to students’ accounts.”
This news comes as a relief to many anxious students. Just last week, a Change.org petition was started by PLU student Connor Musser to “Refund PLU Students for Residential and Dining Plans” and gained support from around 915 people.
