Please, Can Anyone Comment Substantively about On-Campus Dining Halls?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Oberlin College
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<p>I don't mean the coops. I mean the traditional dining halls for kids who don't/won't have the time to take a shift preparing meals in a co-op, unless, of course, you can eat 3 squares at a co-op with your college meal plan and without working there?</p>

<p>On campus dining is one of those things Oberlin doesn't seem to talk about or show off like other colleges and universities. Is Stevenson Hall the location? What's it like? How late does it stay open? Penn State has excellent on-campus dining. Ditto Cornell. Even Muhlenberg College has three or four choices/locations on campus. I never hear a syllable about dining at Oberlin that doesn't begin and end with "co-op." </p>

<p>What is the TRADITIONAL on campus dining like at Oberlin? Where is it? What kind of cuisine do they serve? Is vegetarian variety available?</p>

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<p>I know my daughter ate at Stevenson, at least for a couple years. Later she had some sort of apartment where, at least theoretically, she cooked for herself. I don’t think she thought of the food there as a high point but she did not die, and graduated. </p>

<p>I do remember that one of the things she liked, when she was college hunting, is they seemed to have a good salad bar with fresh veggies. But whether that impression held up, I simply don’t know.</p>

<p>Cornell food is overrated IMO, I went back for an alumni thing and couldn’t believe people regarded that fare as “good”. I recalled it as being the same as what I got when I was there, but my standards had thankfully evolved.</p>

<p>BTW, D didn’t do a coop there, but I did at cornell, and it was a great experience. I hear same about oberlin’s coops, and would recommend them if your D attends. Its less about the food then the sense of community they foster.
Though maybe the food is better too, don’t know.</p>

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<p>There are dining halls other than Stevenson:
[Oberlin</a> College Housing and Dining](<a href=“http://www.oberlin.edu/cds/dininghalls/]Oberlin”>http://www.oberlin.edu/cds/dininghalls/)</p>

<p>A lot of first years eat at Dascomb. It’s not bad; lots of vegetarian options.<br>
The food service, Bon Appetit, tries to use local foods:
[Oberlin</a> College Housing and Dining](<a href=“http://www.oberlin.edu/cds/mission.html]Oberlin”>http://www.oberlin.edu/cds/mission.html)</p>

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<p>Thanks forte2X! Great links! Whew! It looks like Oberlin has some decent options other than co-ops. I’m relieved. I guess my daughter will have to wait until freshman orientation to check them out in person. And I’ll be there too.</p>

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<p>The links give a pretty good idea, I think… Most people eat at Stevenson. Dascomb is also popular because it’s inside a first-year dorm; they also have “fourth meal” every evening. Lord-Saunders is open less often, and serves more home-cooking stuff like mac & cheese or chicken wings. In addition to what’s on the menus, the various dining halls also have things like salad bars, cereal, sandwich stations, and Stevenson does make-your-own omelettes. It’s not amazing food, but what’s missing in quality is usually made up for in variety.</p>

<p>If you’re in a hurry, you can also grab quick food at Decafe (in the basement of the student union - makes sandwiches, salads, and smoothies), the Science Center Cart, or Azariah’s (coffee shop in the library).</p>

<p>A clarification about co-ops, though, if time is your big concern: At the beginning of the semester, co-ops vote on “time aid” policies, so that students who have jobs outside the co-op (for work-study, etc.) get a “discount” on the amount of work they have to do. They vary a little based on the co-op and the semester. My co-op’s currently policy is that three hours of “outside” work = 1 hour of co-op work - e.g., if you work 12 hours a week at the library or something, then you don’t have to do any co-op work at all. I think that’s a pretty typical policy.</p>

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<p>Are you serious?! I get nauseous just thinking about their food!</p>

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<p>The nice thing about coop dining is that it is, I believe, a less expensive option. And the food is definitely healthier.</p>

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<p>Co-op dining is definitely less expensive than CDS. For 2009-10, co-op board is about half of CDS board.</p>

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<p>“Are you serious?! I get nauseous just thinking about their food!” - goldenratiophi</p>

<p>LOL! I really do love the food at Penn State. It’s actually better than Cornell’s. I’ve eaten in two different dining halls and they were both excellent. Plus PSU has their own Creamery. The Butter Pecan ice cream is better than Haagen Daas, and that’s saying something!</p>

<p>Also, PSU has a legit multicultural food court in the HUB. You can get the same franchise foods that you find at the food court inside a huge shopping mall. That’s unreal! They have a doggone Panda Express in the HUB. I love Chinese food!</p>

<p>I guess my D will have to make due with Oberlin’s food. From reading about it, there does appear to be a lot of choices on campus other than the co-ops. My D will have work study and I don’t want her to spend ANY time working in a co-op. Not one hour. Not in her freshman year. Focus on the books.</p>

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<p>Dining Halls:
Lord/Saunders: Best dining hall on campus, hands down. Southern-style food that’s really tasty. Salad bar and a sundae bar. Less for vegetarians, but still worth going.</p>

<p>DeCafe: Not a dining hall, but a food place, probably my favorite. It’s a grocery store / deli : you get ‘flex points’ to spend there. Great salads, sandwiches, coffee and smoothies. Grocery foods are overpriced – I wouldn’t go food shopping there, but if you want v-8 and don’t want to go to town, it’s worth it. They’ve got a lot of Trader Joes-esque foods as well as staples like cereal, milk, candy and ramen. Folks who work there are incredibly kind.</p>

<p>Stevenson: Stevie has a lot of options, it’s family style, and food quality is okay. There’s a meat/non-veg section and a vegetarian/vegan section that serve three different courses; pizza bar; sandwich bar; 2 soups; cereals; large amounts of fruit; ice cream; cookies/pie; soda/juice/water/tea/coffee, a “specials” section and an epic salad bar. </p>

<p>Specials (Global Exhibition):: Generally the best thing-- omelettes make Stevie weekends great.</p>

<p>Creativity makes Stevie meals great. They have microwaves and toasters, so you can make dishes more interesting. Also, a large spice rack. I love that spice rack. </p>

<p>I generally make a salad with a chicken breast/turkey coldcuts/tofu with cheese, garbanzo beans, carrots, beets, tomatoes and a few other veggies. It’s tasty.</p>

<p>Dascomb: Like Stevie, but smaller. I’m not a fan of Dascomb’s portion system, but they’ve got good hours (they’re open most of the time). </p>

<p>Science Center Cart: Boxed lunches: sandwiches or salads, big cookies, good coffee. Open early, closes after lunch. Very practical location.</p>

<p>People mention co-ops before dining halls because our co-ops are really unique and really popular. As a senior, my biggest regret is never formally dining in a co-op. It’s worth the work.</p>