Creating Community Space

Dining halls play a huge role in a student’s integration to campus life. The current issue of Campus Dining Today, published by NACUFS (the National Association of College & University Food Services) features the Memorial Student Center at the University of Wisconsin – Stout (pages 70-71). In the article “A Sense of Place: Creating Community on Campus,” the student center is recognized for its efforts to create inclusive dining arrangements. The project recently received an award from ACUI (Association of College Unions International) for providing  spaces that “transformed the building into a vibrant community facility.” Since the renovation, building traffic is up 21 percent, with daily food sales up 73 percent, reflecting how the student body uses the building right up to midnight closing time.