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How we ended up with Out Takes in the Grille

BY JULIA BOTTLES & T.J. HAWLEY

Alex Brooks '08 walked into a meeting of the Dining Services Committee prepared to fight for Grab & Go. When he walked out, he felt like he had won the battle: Grab & Go would be included in the new Joseph F. Rosenfield '25 Campus Center. But within a month, Grab & Go had been vetoed and replaced by a new program, Out Takes, with fewer options and more restricted hours.

The design for the Campus Center was drawn up before Grab & Go was created in 2003, so included no space for the program. Furthermore, while the college was doing more detailed planning for the building, outside consultants recommended that the college eliminate Grab & Go.

During the early months of last school year, Brooks and former SGA President John Bohman '06 realized that Grab & Go was not in the Campus Center plans. A subcommittee of the two and Dining Services Director Dick Williams proposed housing Grab & Go in a second floor private dining room to Osgood.

"We walked out of that meeting feeling like Osgood said that he was in support of having a Grab & Go. Looking [back] at the Dining Service Committee notes, it looks a little different than it was," said Brooks, admitting that perhaps he and Bohman had misinterpreted support for a meal replacement plan.

The proposal was rejected. Williams was asked to come up with a second proposal locating Grab & Go in the Grille area. Brooks and Bohman said they felt the reasons for scrapping initial plans "didn't make a whole lot of sense," but the design was now out of their hands.

The final decision was made despite a student initiative expressing support for Grab & Go passing with more than 90 percent in favor.

The proposal Osgood requested was for the program know nas Out Takes that contained fewer options. Additional fund of $12,000 was added, rather than the $40,000 the sub-committee wanted.

Even as this year began, many students were confused about the result of the process. After Out Takes finally opened, many students complained about the selection and the limited hours. Out Takes employee Erin Sindewald '08 said many students nostalgic about the old program have complained.

Even though the attempts last year to preserve Grab & Go proved frustrating for students involved, student involvement in shaping dining in the Campus Center isn't over. Dining Services recently announced that Out Takes hours would be extended from 11:30 a.m., the previous, criticized closing time, to 12:30 p.m. Other changes may lie ahead as students continue to provide feedback.

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