In his inaugural address, President John E. Jones III promised to break ground on renovations  the Holland Union Building (HUB) by 2024, which has served as the center for student life and dining services for the past 56 years. Officially named the Holland Union Building, the HUB was established as the center for student life in 1966 and was named after Homer C. Holland, a member of the class of 1913, in honor of his generous capital donation to Dickinson College. However, students are concerned about how their experience will be affected. 

Vice President and Dean of Student Life George Stroud said that the dining hall experience was the main part of the HUB that the college had heard feedback about, saying that was “front and center” in renovation planning. Jones told The Dickinsonian that the college wants to increase the number of the dining options and see the dining options less siloed.

The HUB provides three main dining services to the campus community, the cafeteria,  Union Station, and the juice bar. However, not many details are available at this time, and little to no students seem to be aware of possible renovation plans. Sherry Adams, Retail Operations Attendant at the Juice Bar, agrees, stating she has not heard anything about renovations, even though she works in the HUB and is a devoted Dickinson staff member. 

Jones said that one of the main goals was reducing the amount of deferred maintenance spending that was needed to keep the building up to date. Current deferred maintenance costs include HVAC, roofing repairs and kitchen updates. 

George Stroud, Vice President for Student Life said, “I think it’s just upgrading everything that goes on and reimagining what the HUB of the campus would look like. Obviously, because the dining hall is in this space that would be a big part of it. It’s also which offices should be in this space and how would students and the whole community better utilize the other spaces that are here.” 

The Dickinsonian was unable to determine when plans for HUB renovations were started. Some say these plans have been in the works for over 15 years. Jones said that in the spent 13 years on the board of trustees and renovations to the HUB were discussed every year. 

Errol Huffman, Director of Culinary Services said, “HUB renovations were discussed prior to the pandemic with an architectural firm and food service design consultants. Conversations about the renovations resumed recently.” Jones agreed, saying that “capital projects were not going to get moving during that intermezzo.”

After fall pause, the dining hall switched back to a traditional lunch line system. Previously, the system ran on self service, and students seemed to be content with this option. Now, students are adjusting to a new system, with some opting to avoid the dining hall as a whole because of the uncomfortable, unassessable switch. The dining hall is known to be difficult for students with dietary restriction and physical disabilities. Students hope that these issues will be solved soon, hopefully with the renovation. 

More concerns arise over the spatial planning, as multiple clubs and offices share space within the HUB. Notably, WDCV , which is located in the HUB basement, has been the official radio station of Dickinson for 60 years. As of late, the dance studio has acquired some water damage, threatening multiple dance clubs, teams and pilates which meet twice a week.  

One major concern is the place of Mathers Theater, which is the only space in the HUB attached to an academic department. Provost and Dean of the College Neil Weissman said that the theater “works in some ways but is inadequate.” 

Stroud said, “There’s been some conversations about HUB renovations for some time. I’ve only been here for four years, so I can’t speak before then, but I do know there’s been some conversation about renovating this space. In particular, the dining hall facilities and trying to make this the living room of campus.”