When Simmons Dining Commons is converted into dorm space, healthier food options will become available at other residence dining areas.
Simmons will close at the end of the spring 2011 semester. At the same time, Pollock Dining Halls will undergo renovations and reopen with healthy “food concepts,” said Lisa Wandel, director of residence dining.
Concepts will include an Asian food grille, barbecue, pizza and pasta section, a deli bar and a chef section, she said.
Assistant Director of Pollock Residence Life Chad Henning said he doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that Pollock is being renovated at the same time Simmons is closing. He said there will be a focus put on healthy eating options in the renovation.
Included in Pollock’s renovation will be a bigger salad bar than the one currently at Simmons, Wandel said — the bar will include a grain bar, soup bar and hot vegetables.
After noting that most students tend to graze when they eat — have some pasta, with a piece of pizza on the side and then a dessert — the decision was made to shrink the portion sizes at all dining commons, Wandel said.
Other changes for residence dining include opening Redifer’s Urban Garden for breakfast and providing an oatmeal bar, Wandel said.
Like Simmons, Pollock will be a place where vegetarian and vegan students can find a variety of options, Wandel said.
“That’ll have a lot of choices for students looking for vegetarian or just healthier balance,” Wandel said.
Wandel said students can expect to see more of Simmons recipes in other dining commons.
But some students said it still won’t be the same as having Simmons.
Penn State student and creator of the “Save Simmons Dining” Facebook group Mark Jones said closing Simmons “doesn’t add up.”
“When they close Simmons down, there will be more people and less places to eat,” Jones (sophomore-engineering) said. “It sends the wrong message health-wise.”
Wandel stressed that Simmons was not the only place to eat healthy on campus.
“There is no bad food, period,” Wandel said. “It’s all about balance.”
She said all of the other dining commons have healthy food — it is just a matter of making the decision to choose healthy meals.
But some students said they liked Simmons because they didn’t have to make the decision between healthy and less healthy foods.
Dave DeFelice, who said he ate frequently in Simmons last year, said that while it sounds like a good plan to “add a little healthy everywhere,” he thinks it’s best to have a “healthy” dining room.
“Having healthy foods in midst of non-healthy foods may not have the results they are looking for,” DeFelice (sophomore-business science) said.
Wandel said the residence dining department is not only just focused on pleasing health-conscious students, but also on students who are looking for their favorite foods.
“We have to be very careful that we don’t tip the ship the other way,” Wandel said. “We don’t want to send them away because they can’t find the foods they love.”