When plans first came into discussion a few years ago about making changes to The Commons dining hall at the University of Hartford, the idea of renovating and make other changes around campus was also put into action.

In addition to the brand brewing new Starbucks at The Goodwin Café, there are three other key important changes for the 2015–16 school year.The biggest addition will be what is called the SIZZLE program at Commons.

If students are craving some nice grilled steaks or some tasty seafood, then SIZZLE is the thing for them.SIZZLE is a premium addition to the grill station that will begin Tuesday, Sept. 8

When students enter Commons and swipe their ID card, they will have the option to add a meat or seafood option such as steak, filet, ribeye, shrimp skewers or salmon to their lunch and/or dinner.

The cashier will assist in completing the order and it will then be cooked at the grill.The hours of operation for the SIZZLE station will be Monday – Friday from noon to 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. on the weekends.

In addition to a meal swipe, it will cost $9.99. Dining dollars, Hawk Cash and credit/debit will be accepted.

Another change can be found in the Village Market where the F’Real machine used to be. It has now been replaced by a self-service Jamba Juice smoothie station.University of Hartford Aramark resident district manager Bridgett Stapleton said the change was to give students a bit of healthier option and to give more variety since there already is a F’Real machine in the Gengras Café.

The NEW Jamba Juice self-serve smoothie station in the Village Market! #UHart pic.twitter.com/1aomh0uNLN

— The Informer (@UHartInformer) August 29, 2015

A new initiative that is soon to come to Commons is the “Please Don’t Waste, Ask for a Taste!” program.

Dining services is teaming up with the Hawk Hall Community Service students to reduce food waste and raise awareness in the University community about the impact of food waste in the world.

The initiative allows students to taste a food item on the menu or by taking away food that they don’t think they will eat.

Having these recognizable brands and food places on campus also serves as a good feature to show when prospective students come to visit on tours.

As far as the progress on changes that were made a year ago, Stapleton said there has been a lot of positive feedback with having Subway in Konover.

She also said that the new meal plan changes that occurred last year earned some heavy criticism early on, but seemed to subside during the second semester once students got used to it.Stapleton said that they are always doing surveys and looking for feedback from students on what they want on campus.She also hinted that “Extreme Pita” may  have run its course and that it would be looked into at the end of the year.

On April 26, the University of Hartford Division of Student Affairs hosted the Student Leadership Awards in the Gengras Student Union Café to honor individuals, groups or organizations for their accomplishments throughout the 2014–15 school year.

The most prestigious award, the Robert Hanley Award, was awarded to seniors Andrew Matte and Cassandra Fowlie. The award “recognizes a senior who has demonstrated a solid commitment to the University with their involvement in student organizations, and/or University programs, service to the community, having a positive impact and serving as a role model for other students.”

The Richard D. Keller Award was awarded to Charles “Chaz” Davis as it “recognizes a student with a physical disability that demonstrates initiative and perseverance in his/her involvement in University programs or student organizations.”

The M. Kevin Fahey Gengras Student Union Award was awarded to David Dorado for “recognizing a student who understands that as the “hearthstone of the campus” GSU contributes significantly through its operations, programs and services to the out-of-the-classroom educational experience.”

The Dean of Students Special Recognition Award was awarded to Jonathon Acampora, Jorden Howard, Colleen McLoughlin and Jordan Levi Nichelson.The Dean of Students Recognition of Service Award was selected on a student’s “ability to think and act independently on behalf of the organization; ability to inspire and motivate one’s fellow students; and demonstration of admirable leadership qualities.” The award winners were the Campus Activities Team, Justin Riley, Bhavin Shah, Andres Olarte, Celina Whitmore, Haley Rice and Hala Al-Khalil.

Student organizations were also recognized and awarded. The cleverly-titled Student Organization Awards “recognizes student organizations that have made the most significant progress since the beginning of the academic year based on a strong and active membership, successful programs and overall contribution to the University.” The awarded organizations were Delta Zeta, Connectivity Peer Education Theatre Ensemble, University of Hartford Gospel Choir and CAT’s Safety Street.

Programs that student organizations put on were also recognized. The Outstanding Program Award recognizes “a student, organization or groups of students who planned and implemented a University-wide program, which contributed in a significant way to the quality of student life, or to the enjoyment, understanding, knowledge or positive image of our University.” The program winners were SCA’s “Open Mic Night,” EKTA’s “Diwali,” Fenomena’s “Showcase,” Muslim Student Association’s “Friday Prayer,” SCA’s “Think Fast Trivia Series” and Hillel’s “Taste of Isreal.”The Community Service Awards were awarded to Alpha Phi Omega, Brittany Peck and Nateka Scafe for “Dance-a-Thon.” The award “recognizes student organizations or groups of students who have contributed most significantly to the community during the acadmeic year. Selection is based on the quality of project(s) or event(s) completed by the group, and contribution to the organization being served.”

Erin Wright and Elizabeth Nelson were selected for the First Year Student Awards for “demonstrating outstanding qualities in their achievements during their first year at the University of Hartford.”

Good Neighbor Awards were awarded to students who were “a responsible member of the University residential community who demonstrates civility and concern for others in his/her immediate living environment.” The “good neighbors” recognized were Andrea Barros, Brittney Curcio, Georgette Price, Faith-Marie Ortiz, Desiree Roberts, Myrani Alvarado, Marc Walker, Benedetto Borgesano, Angela Zaino, Patrick Hurst, Ashley Acosta and Robinson Damus.

As the school year comes to an end, and as familiar faces being to leave, while new ones arrive on-campus, the accomplishments and achievements of the current student body for the 2014–15 school year can not be understated.

The end of the school year not only marks a time of celebration for students, but also a time of achievement for faculty and staff at the University of Hartford. Much like it serves the end of a chapter for graduating seniors, it may also mark the end of a chapter for faculty or staff who are moving on to other endeavors.

At the University of Hartford, the annual Recognition Day event celebrates and honors members of the faculty and staff who are celebrating special anniversaries with the University. These special anniversary years are those with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 years of service.

This year’s Recognition Day had an extra twist to it — it was the first time an employee was honored for 50 years of service. Professor of guitar Richard Provost became a full-time faculty member in 1964, starting the Guitar Department and serving as chair of the department from 1964–1988 and 2008–2012.

Provost has performed throughout the United States, Great Britain and Germany, and has conducted numerous master classes and workshops as well as authoring three books on guitar technique along with “The Art and Technique of Practice” and “The Art and Technique of Performance.”

He is also a University of Hartford alumnus and will be retiring as a full-time faculty member at the end of the current school year. He will continue to teach on a part-time basis.

Also retiring at the end of the year will be associate Vice President and Treasurer Tom Perra, whom was also recognized on Recognition Day for 45 years of service to the University. He too will still continue in a part-time capacity for one more year.

Perra first joined the University in 1969 as assistant to the chief accountant. He earned both his undergraduate degree in accounting and a Master of Science in professional accounting from the University of Hartford while working full time.

Perra has overseen all of the University’s tax-exempt bond issues and re-financing of them, which brought in hundreds of millions of dollars for capital projects, including the residential properties as well as some of the academic buildings.

He has also been responsible for increasing auxiliary revenues as well as contributing to the automation of student services, the launch of the University’s ID card for on- and off-campus uses, Purchasing Card for faculty and staff, electronic billing and payments for students and the automation of the student refund process.

A celebration will be held April 30 at 4:30 p.m. in the 1877 Club to thank him for his service. Perra, together with senior advisor for external relations John Carson, will also be awarded the University Medal for Distinguished Service during the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony on May 17.

Dr. Sharon Shepela is another long-tenured faculty member who will be retiring after 37 years of teaching for Hillyer College and Hartford College for Women. Shepela is a professor of psychology and has co-authored a book titled “Courageous Resistance: The Power of Ordinary People” which examines how ordinary people find courage to stand up for justice and peace.

A celebration was held April 27 in the Regents Commons at the Shaw Center in Hillyer Hall. It included a jazz performance from Hartt School students Erica Bryan and her quartet and a vocalist Quoron Walker.

The department of psychology will be losing another valuable member in Dr. Otto Wahl, who will also be retiring. Wahl came to the University of Hartford in 2003 to lead the Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology as its director of clinical training.

Wahl’s work within the University and outside the classroom includes mental health advocacy activities. His research on mental illness stigma and media depictions of mental illness has earned him a national and international reputation.

A celebration for Wahl was held April 28 in the Shaw Center in Hillyer Hall.

The University of Hartford will undoubtedly miss the many faculty and staff whom will be moving on at the end of the school year.

Their accomplishments and achievements here will forever leave an impression on the history of the school, much like it will their own histories.

“So what made you come all the way out here?”

That question, or any variation of that, is one of the top two questions I’ve most often been asked throughout my college life (the other question being: “Why do you have so many hats?”) I’ve only been at the University of Hartford for what will now be two semesters, but I’ve been asked that question by almost every single person that has learned I am from Hawai’i.

Usually, I just shrug my shoulders, laugh, tell the person that I always get asked that question and that I don’t really know what the answer is.

But, I do know why. I just don’t say it because it’s boring and takes too long to explain.

If I could sum it up to as basic as one word, it’s: “Google.”

For my first two years of college, I went to a university in Oregon and I always knew I would transfer out of there because I chose not to enjoy it there.

Back in high school, I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, or what college I wanted to go to.

I did know that I wanted to do something video-related.

I only applied to a few schools and ended up going to the school I chose since a lot of students from Hawai’i go there and also because my older brother had graduated from there.

However, that school did help steer me toward the field of journalism and helped me decide what I wanted to pursue.

Since I wanted to transfer and I wanted to do something that combines video and journalism, I figured that I should go somewhere where I can get a good internship.

I decided I mine as well shoot for the top, so I Google’d ESPN internships and found the University of Hartford.

If there’s anything to take away from this, it’s that college is what you make of it.

I didn’t enjoy my first college because I never really wanted to be there.

I’ve seen many students here with complaints about the University of Hartford.

Ranging from tuition being too high, to how meal swipes work and even to the ridiculous of the salt being used on walkways to melt snow making the campus look “ugly.”

I will admit that I was a little disappointed with the campus life here and the school spirit, especially since we are a Division I athletics school.

Maybe it wasn’t everything that I thought it would be and I can’t just run away from that by transferring again.

That would cost too much time and money.

It just made me realize that college is what you make of it, and if there’s something you don’t like about it, that’s just another opportunity for someone to do something and make change happen.

If you don’t like it here, then transfer out.

Being an undergraduate only lasts about four years.

So if you don’t want to be here, it doesn’t make sense to stay here.

But if you chose to come here and made the University of Hartford the school that you want to graduate from, then it’s up to us to make it how we want it to be.