Seven points will go a lot further at Grab ‘n Go after spring break when additional items become available at both the North Dining Hall and South Dining Hall locations.
Sophomore Nimmy Thomas, a member of student government's Constituent Services Committee, said after spring break, Grab ‘n Go options will be standardized at North Dining Hall and South Dining Hall locations.
"Currently there is a discrepancy in the type of food served at both the North and South Dining Hall Grab ‘n Go's," Thomas said.
South's Grab ‘n Go will offer Pop Tarts, pita chips and hummus, Goldfish crackers and animal crackers, all of which were previously exclusive to North.
North Dining Hall's Grab ‘n Go will have granola bars, cereal bars and apple slices, which were only in the South location before, she said.
Mark Poklinkowski, general manager of South Dining Hall, said its Grab ‘n Go began adding Pop Tarts, Goldfish and pita and hummus this week with much demand from students.
"The hummus and chips … have been going like crazy," he said. "We tried to warn our supplier on the Pop-Tarts that we were going to be needing a lot, and it looks like they're already going to run us out by the end of this week."
In addition to these changes, Thomas said gluten-free options will be available to students who need them.
"There will be Chewy bars and crispy rice, and those will be two Grab ‘n Go points," Thomas said. "They have to be specially requested, and you have to have the marker on your ID that says you need a gluten-free diet."
Thomas said the Constituent Services Committee chose to focus on Grab ‘n Go reform because of student feedback on Whine Wednesday surveys.
"We asked students, ‘Would you like Grab ‘n Go reform to go through?' and 66 percent of the student body who responded stated that Grab ‘n' Go needed to be changed," she said.
But Thomas said some of the changes students suggested were not feasible.
"Some of the changes that we wanted to bring initially included having a hot meal served, but the idea of our University is that communal meals are preferred because they encourage community-building," Thomas said. "All those ideas were changed to fit the ideals of the University."
Students also requested a salad bar with more vegetarian options, but Thomas said the Grab ‘n Go facilities could not accommodate that.
Once the Constituent Services Committee drafted a proposal for changes to Grab ‘n Go, Thomas said Food Services was open to the ideas presented.
"Within about two weeks [after submitting the proposal to Food Services] they told us everything will be changed over spring break," she said. "They were very receptive to our ideas."
Poklinkowski said Food Services easily agreed to the changes because students had requested them in the past.
"It really made sense with what we've heard," he said.
