<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0nxvUK_1Gtjky7y00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0nxvUK_1Gtjky7y00" width="800" height="534" >Ohio University has dining options including Nelson Court and The District, which house many dining concepts in an all-you-can-eat style. However, this fall, certain dining hall concepts transitioned from a self-serve model to a pre-portioned and staff-plated model, drawing criticism from students. According to Autumn Ryder, the director of Culinary Services, the pre-plated system was tested during Bobcat Student Orientation in 2025. It was only present in the Kalamata Leaf concept in Nelson and received positive feedback from students and families, according to Ryder. In spring 2026, the system expanded to The District’s Noodled concept. Because of continued positive feedback, the university implemented the system in Nelson last summer and expanded it to more locations within The District this semester.Ryder said in an email the change was in an effort to reduce food waste and use culinary resources more efficiently. However, Isabel May, a senior studying English and a regular at The District, said the system creates more food waste. “I feel like it wastes more food because then you're grabbing a plate because you want one thing on it, and then the other things, you might not want it, and then that just gets dumped afterwards,” May said. Shelby Vickers, a sophomore with an undecided major and a previous employee at Nelson, said the composting system previously in place that dealt with food waste worked well to mitigate the problem. “We wouldn't have a ton of waste when people could just choose what they wanted,” Vickers said. “When I was there, it seemed like they had it pretty well figured out with the compost thing.” May also said the new system is infantilizing.“We’re all adults here, and I feel like we can all serve ourselves,” May said. “It feels like I’m back in elementary school in a way.”John Goonan, a senior studying accounting and marketing, has concerns about staffing with the new system. While working at the Nelson Court ice cream station, Goonan noticed dining hall staff having trouble keeping up with lines at busy stations due to the new system. “The days where it is something people want, like chicken nuggets or chicken strips, it is completely slammed to the point where whoever’s working there can’t keep up,” Goonan said. Goonan said he has not seen staffing numbers change to reflect this issue. “Before, when you were just bringing out big trays and then waiting for them to empty and switching them out, it was fine and easy,” Goonan said. “When it's one of those days where it's super busy, and you know, the second a plate goes out, it's getting picked up. One person is not going to be able to keep up with that all on their own.”Meadow Sandy, a sophomore studying political science pre-law, sociology and criminology, currently serves as the commissioner for residence life on OU’s Student Senate.Sandy said the pre-plated system creates issues for students with specific dietary needs. “I think one of my main concerns is students with eating disorders and dietary restrictions,” Sandy said. “I mean, it can be triggering when people are monitoring how much you're taking or how little you're taking.” According to Sandy, the university told the Senate the change was for budgetary reasons along with food waste. In a letter to faculty in October 2025, President Lori Stewart Gonzalez told all departments within the university to either reduce expenses or increase their revenue by 2% during fiscal year 2027, the current fiscal year.Sandy said the Senate is hoping to meet with Culinary to discuss updating the plan to better suit the needs of students. She said she hopes to eventually get the system back to a self-serve style. “As a school, our job is to really make students feel comfortable and welcomed,” Sandy said. “Which I feel like, with these new policies implemented, we're kind of going back on that.” </div></body>

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Ohio University has dining options including Nelson Court and The District, which house many dining concepts in an all-you-can-eat style. However, this fall, certain dining hall concepts transitioned from a self-serve model to a pre-portioned and staff-plated model, drawing criticism from students. According to Autumn Ryder, the director of Culinary...

New dining hall serving system raises student, staff concerns

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Ohio University has dining options including Nelson Court and The District, which house many dining concepts in an all-you-can-eat style. However, this fal

New dining hall serving system raises student, staff concerns

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