Decisions on Dining postponed

Originally scheduled for release last spring, the Cornyn Fasano report won't be available until December. The future of dining is still up in the air -- and it will remain so at least until the end of the semester. Delays in the release of final recommendations from an outside consulting group have put a freeze on decisions about outsourcing Dining Services or other possible changes to campus food options. Although originally scheduled for release last April, Cornyn Fasano's dining report will "be in our hands by the end of the semester," according to Marie Witt, director of support services for Business Services. She explained that the consulting firm must "coordinate and integrate" last spring's residential reports into its own findings before finalizing the recommendations. "This is the overall campus master-plan for food," Witt said. "In that respect, residential dining is a large piece. We're also looking to integrate with recreation and health system studies. "We must have all pieces integrated, and we are adamant about the fact that we want the whole campus studied," she added. Last April, another consulting firm, Biddison Hier, and a committee chaired by Art History Professor David Brownlee outlined sweeping changes to on-campus residential life, including the creation of multi-year residential communities. At the time, administrators said cost estimates and a preliminary timetable for the residential reports would be ready this fall. However, they have since pushed the release date back to the end of this semester. Now, it appears the release of the dining report will depend on the release of the residential reports. Associate Vice President for Campus Services Larry Moneta said the residential reports were a "complex issue," adding that administrators are trying to integrate the series of recommendations. "It's a very large project -- and it's just not ready yet," Moneta said. Provost Stanley Chodorow said administrators are currently conducting a "very careful analysis of the possibilities raised by the Brownlee recommendations." Once the reports' conclusions are available, implementation of the Cornyn Fasano group's recommendations will likely begin early in the 1998-99 academic year, Witt said. The group completed the first phase of its assessment of campus food services -- a series of focus groups and market research which involved approximately 1,500 students, faculty and staff -- and released the survey results late last February. These findings contributed to Dining officials' decision to reinstate weekend meals after their own surveys and Cornyn Fasano's results showed considerable student interest in such a program, though preliminary data from this semester suggest students may have overstated their interest. Specific recommendations about whether to outsource Dining Services in any way -- which could include partnering and developing strategic alliances with food companies -- will also be part of the final report. Although administrators say they must await the final report before implementing any further recommendations, a comprehensive set of preliminary recommendations was released in May and is already available. The report's suggestions included coordinating the University's $40 million campus food services and creating other facilities to complement the area's food trucks -- a stated goal of the University-led effort to pass a city ordinance on vending. The study also analyzed Dining Services and found that the program is well-managed, but has "failed to remain contemporary in terms of facilities, equipment, service levels and hours of operation." Additionally, the group pointed to the need for Dining to provide cheap, convenient and appealing alternatives to food trucks. And to better serve the University community's 50,000 food services customers, the firm recommended extended hours and a la carte service.