Westminster University implemented changes to Shaw Dining Hall this year, introducing meal swipes, an alternate ordering system and renovations, aimed at improving convenience and quality. Students are split between whether they think these changes are necessary.
This year, the dining service has added “meal swipes” and “flex dollars” to the meal plan system, according to Westminster’s site.
Westminster offers a grand total of five meal plans, ranging from around $2500 to $2000 per semester, which is a requirement for residential students, including all who stay on campus after the mandatory first two years.
The two cheapest plans are only for upperclassmen and commuter students, who are not required to have a meal plan.
Students are now provided with several meal swipes per week that allow them to have a buffet-style selection of food. Flex dollars function “like a debit card” with a set amount of money per semester, just like the previous years.
Swipes are available only at brunch on the weekends and nightly dinners, while breakfast and lunch are for flex dollars, according to the Westminster’s site.
“For dinner and brunch on the weekends we are now ‘all you care to eat,’” said Nikki Hardinger, general manager of Shaw. “Students can come in, swipe their card, and they are welcome to grab what they’d like.”
Students can get five to nine swipes per week, based on their meal plan.
Some students like the changes, while others aren’t sure why the switch was made.
Students review meal swipes
“In comparison to last year, it’s worse,” said Lily Crofts, a junior sociology and honors student. “I think that having the new coffee shop is awesome for things like grab-and-go, but I feel like Shaw is a lot more limited now. The flex dollars vs. the meal swipes is not as productive as they thought it would be.”
The limit of swipes per week is the primary issue for some students. If you go past your designated amount of swipes, you must wait until it restarts the following week, according to Westminster’s meal plan page.
Jordyn Robinson, a first-year nursing student, had a different problem with meal swipes.
“I think the swipes and the buffet style leaves too much for interpretation,” Robinson said. “They decrease the quality of the food so you don’t take as much. Lunch and breakfast are top tier and super yummy, but as soon as you’re getting mass food [like in buffet-style], it’s awful.”
Students like Robinson think that the buffet style worsens the food’s quality, while others think that more food is always better.
“The new addition of meal swipes is pretty nice,” said Parker Churney, a sophomore accounting major. “I think it was a positive, I’m getting a lot more food at dinner time this year,”
Orion Hansen, a sophomore business administration major, compared this year’s meal plan to last year’s.
“I prefer this year more. I think the food swipes are an excellent addition, I feel like I am getting enough food to eat whenever I can use those swipes,” Hansen said.
Shaw’s Hours
Shaw’s hours is another important aspect of how students interact with the dining hall.
“Sometimes it’s a little rough with the late opening on the weekends. If they opened at nine [a.m.] that would be nice,” Hansen said.
Lily Crofts, a junior student, was another person who thought Shaw’s hours could be more accessible.
“The hours have changed, so sometimes you come in during the afternoon and they are just closed,” Crofts said.
Charlie Priest, a sophomore business major, also wanted to use Shaw’s services during the afternoon pause in operations.
“I think the hours are okay,” Priest said. “I wish the transition between lunch and dinner was different because I get hungry in the early afternoon between 3:30 and 4, so I can never get my grub.”
The dining hall does not operate from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., according to Westminster’s campus dining webpage.
Digital Ordering Systems
Shaw also added an app and digital kiosks as a new ordering system for the grill and deli to make ordering smoother, though the standing digital tablets aren’t currently in use.
“Its basically our way of getting rid of paper grill tickets,” said Nikki Hardinger, Shaw general manager. “It’s the same as your app basically that you can order through. It’s down right now but I’m hoping it’ll be up soon.”
The paper tickets for the grill and the deli are still out and in use. A couple students said that they prefer the ordering papers to the alternate digital options.
Blanca Sartillo-Mejia, a sophomore undecided student, said that she doesn’t know anybody who uses the Everyday Menu app by Sodexo to order.
Sartillo-Mejia said that the app was used more last year to check what’s on the menu for each meal, and that the meal swipes system affected the app’s use.
“I’ve never used [the app] because I don’t think it’s effective,” Sartillo-Mejia said. “Because of the new system this year, which like, has definitely changed because of the meal swipes, [the app] is not used as much.”
Scott DSG, a sophomore computer science and theater major, also said he doesn’t use the Everyday Menu app to order food from Shaw.
The New Look
Besides the internal changes to Shaw’s function, the physical space underwent construction to change its appearance. This includes a new glass wall between the kitchen/cashier area and the entrance.
Ryan Jorgensen, a sous chef who works in Shaw, said that besides giving Shaw a fresh look, the new wall “also improves its function.”
“The wall helps with having one source of traffic, instead of students going in and out from all areas crowding the cafeteria,” Jorgensen said.
The added glass barrier made one student feel the space was more closed.
“They look really nice, but it feels even smaller than last year,” said Lily Crofts, a junior sociology and honors student.
The new coffee station, “Winged Scholar Coffee”, introduced in the spring semester of 2024, was only the beginning of Shaw’s evolution.
A large space next to the food area in Shaw is still in development.
“That [space is] waiting for furniture, I think it is supposed to be a lounge space,” President Beth Dobkin said.
With further additions ahead, Shaw will continue to be a primary area on campus for students to gather.
