As the University likes to brag, Binghamton University has five dining halls scattered across its sprawling campus — each in a different residential community, each with its own distinct personality.
So what distinguishes one dining hall from another? What makes the burgers in Mountainview different from those in CIW?
Well, some say it’s fancier; they go for the ambience. But ambience or no ambience, the burger you eat anywhere on campus comes from the same source of Sodexho goodness. So the question still remains: what makes a student choose between eating at his designated dining hall and taking the walk to another?
Answer: it’s the dining halls’ patrons, the residents of their respective communities, who shape the feel of these local eateries and ultimately constitute the atmosphere of the dining hall itself. At the heart of this atmosphere is the presence of dining etiquette, or in some cases, lack thereof.
Dining hall etiquette varies from community to community. For example, CIW’s basement-chic nook-and-cranny appeal lends itself to a rather frequent “overlooking” of personal-space hygiene. Simply put, people tend to leave their trays at the table where they sat because of the relative privacy of their individual seating locations.
“There are definitely people cleaning up after other people,” said Greg Aguele, a senior history and theater major.
The same typically holds true for Newing Dining Hall’s newly renovated digs.
It was messy before, but most attribute that to the cafeteria’s outdated style. So why now, after a costly remodeling period, has the dining hall’s infamously low standard for table-cleanliness not abated?
Some are quick to blame the venerable staff of these dining rooms. But the notoriety should more likely be associated with Newing’s patrons. The hall tends to exhibit trends similar to that of CIW as far as messy eaters go, with trays of food conveniently and carelessly abandoned post-meal.
“Everyone thinks they can just leave their trays on the table and the garbage all over the place,” said Shari Maltz, a sophomore biology major and Newing resident. “It’s gross,” she added.
The staff at these dining locations agree that students can often be less than thoughtful when it comes to cleaning.
“You see trays left out, and sometimes you see people making messes deliberatley,” said Ericka Joseph, a junior biology major and third-semester student manager of Hinman Dining Hall.
So what’s the matter with the student population? Did they all get together and agree to forsake the general dining courtesy of their forefathers? Probably not.
Perhaps the key to the messiness dilemma can be found in Mountainview’s apparently favored dining accomodations. As compared to its counterparts, Mountainview’s Applachian Dining Hall provides a wide-open and airy feel. The greater natural light distribution is seemingly conducive to a cleaner and more responsible eating environment.
“It’s got a hotel type aura,” said James Wong, a freshman.
“It’s bigger and there’s a lot more open space; its just cleaner up there,” agrees Aguele.
The dish-returns of these dining halls are worth consideration as well. Dickinson’s and Newing’s are somewhat hard to find, and given the general laziness of Joe SUNY, that means neglected trays. The dish-return in Mountainview is significantly more prominent – it’s the only dining hall where student and staff meet face to face. Perhaps there is something to be said for Feng-Shui after all, as the intimacy of this kind of setup elicits a certain degree of diner responsibility.
“It’s a little more friendly when you go over there; it’s also right near the stairs so you’re going out anyway…[Newing’s] is on the complete other side of the dining hall if you sit on one side, and you have to navigate your way through the tables,” said Maltz of the discrepancy between the Newing and Mountainview dish-returns.
Of course the real sociological implications of dining hall ambience and its effect on student etiquette may not be known, but it’s worth considering—and cleaning up after.