Broken tables, bent chairs, and filthy restrooms are now only a memory in the McCall Dining Hall, which opened it doors to hundreds of students on Monday. Dinner, which originally started at 4:30 p.m., started at 5 p.m. with eager students entering the dining hall for the first time since May.
The 2.4 million dollar project brought a much needed modern image to the campus, including a bar area which over looks the Favrot Student Union, colorful lights that hang from the ceiling, and a stylish buffet. The new dining hall features a wide variety of buffet style food, with several bars: Mexican, American, Italian, Asian, soul food, salad bar, sandwich bar, as well as desert and ice cream ranging in almost ten different flavors.
The hours of operation was a much needed change for the dining hall.
"Our demographics showed that most students didn’t come to the dining hall until 5 o’clock," said Tawana Williams, service manager of the dining hall. "Dinner has also extended 30 minutes, allowing students to enter and eat until 8 p.m.,” Williams said.
Many students agree that Grambling’s vision to restore the university has begun to prosper on campus.
"It’s very well designed and I think its the campus’ best attraction," said Anthony Dale, a senior from Birmingham. Dale and many other students felt relieved to eat in the new dining hall, returning to a modern scene and better atmosphere.
There were also some upset students to enter the new dining hall, especially Alex Scott.
"I’m getting aggravated," said the freshman from Anchorage, Alaska. "So many people are here and they act like they have never eaten food before."
Lines were so congested, it took some people nearly two hours to get a meal and eat. The crowded lines brought much confusion, causing some students unaware of where the lines started.
"I never thought I would get lost in Grambling’s cafe," said Travis Mack, a sophomore from Monroe. "They should have provided us with maps."
Seating may be a problem for the first few days, but I think everything will be good,” said Kristan Moore, a sophomore from Chickasha, Okla. It looks nice.”
Williams recalls the times when she was eating in the dining hall as a student at Grambling.
"I’m ecstatic to see how the cafe has changed," said Williams. "Its nice to see GSU changing with times."