The beginning of this year has brought about several significant changes in the cafeteria and the Union Station (SNAR), including the removal of TVs from both locations and extended dining hours.

The TVs were installed in the SNAR late last spring semester to replace the printed menu boards. The TVs presented the menus on a looped slideshow, garnering complaints from students and SNAR customers, and have already been removed.

“Many students expressed displeasure with them and the way they cycled through different menus,” said John O’Donnell, interim director of Dining Services, on the topic of the removal of the TVs.

Students often complained about the manner in which the pages of the menu rotated. The individual pages of the menu rotated too slowly, causing students to become impatient and walk away to circle the cafeteria to observe the food choices instead. Alternatively, once a student found a page they wanted to read, it would change too fast for him or her to discern what it read.

“They were hard to read, the boards are much easier,” said Gloria Huse ’16. “Students walked around to see what there was and didn’t stand there to read it.”

In addition to the TVs in the SNAR, two TVs were installed in the cafeteria, bringing the total number of TVs equipped for cable viewing there up to five. The two additional TVs were removed before the start of this semester.

“I didn’t realize there were changes in the cafeteria and SNAR pertaining to TVs,” said Caitlin DeFazio ’16.

Overall, the removal of the TVs has not greatly impacted the experience in the dining areas.

The removal of TVs is not the only response that Dining Services has made to student requests this year: Both the SNAR and the cafeteria have extended meal hours.

“We have extended our hours of operation per student request. We no longer close between breakfast and lunch and are open until 8pm Monday through Thursday and until 7:30pm Friday through Sunday,” said O’Donnell.

The changes have so far proven beneficial, primarily to athletes whose practices do not end until closer to the end of the night.