UCLA Dining Services recently decided to push back De Neve dining hall’s closing date about one month to give officials more time to reevaluate their designs for the space’s remodel.
The dining hall is now set to close on April 27 instead of the beginning of spring quarter as originally intended. A gluten-free pantry currently located in De Neve dining hall will be moved to Bruin Plate next quarter.
Construction on the dining hall was originally set to begin with the start of spring quarter, but due to delays, the bids on construction on De Neve will open on April 8, the bids provide UCLA with cost predictions and blue prints. Construction will begin on April 27. The renovations will include upgraded flooring and a new salad bar, among other changes. The total cost of the renovation will remain at $1.2 million.
Daryl Ansel, director of food and beverage for UCLA Dining Services, said in a statement that dining is pushing back the closure of De Neve dining hall because it is taking longer than expected to plan the project.
Ansel said he is confident that De Neve dining hall will reopen in time for the start of the 2014 fall quarter as scheduled.
Leah Falcon, a first-year undeclared social sciences student, said she thinks the delay will have a positive effect because it will reduce crowding in other dining halls for the first half of the quarter.
Ansel said he hopes recently opened Bruin Plate will accommodate students after De Neve dining hall closes. Bruin Plate matches the capacity of De Neve because it is able to seat up to 900 students.
The delay in construction will also allow De Neve dining hall to be open for Bruin Day on April 19, Ansel said. On Bruin Day, UCLA hosts admitted students at the school so that they may get an inside look into the campus, dorm life and dining.
Despite the setbacks, the gluten-free pantry in De Neve will move to Bruin Plate as scheduled.
The pantry is set to cost $15,000 and will open at the start of the spring quarter, said Dolores Hernandez, nutrition education coordinator for UCLA Dining Services.
The gluten-free pantry will not reopen in De Neve in the fall, Hernandez said.
The pantry initially opened in 2012 and serves students who have gluten allergies. Students with celiac disease must register with the UCLA Disabled Students Housing Appeals Board and submit a doctor’s note to access the pantry, Hernandez said.
The pantry has 50 registered students to date, and dining does not expect there to be an increase with the change in location, just a transfer of users, Hernandez said.
Students think that having a gluten-free pantry is essential at UCLA, though some wondered if more could be done for students with other dietary needs.
Cynthia Huang, a first-year microbiology student, said students with other dietary requirements should also be accommodated.
“Would they also open a Kosher pantry? If they have a gluten-free one, other students with dietary restrictions should be given the same consideration,” Huang said.
Starting spring quarter, students who are registered for the gluten-free diet can swipe in at Bruin Plate’s pantry.
Very nice article. I personally think expecting Bruin Plate to accommodate a greater influx of students will be a DISASTER as there are already lines there at all hours. Maybe they should try renovating DeNeve in the summer or something, when less students are around.