MEGHAN GUATTERY
Assistant News Editor
After a year and a half of quiet murmurs and crossed fingers, conversation regarding the dormant Erie Dining Hall has sparked once again.
Freshman sound recording technology major Andrew Marotta published a petition on Jan. 26 to change.org. With over 85 million users, the site prides itself as “the world’s platform for change,” allowing any user to start a petition for any cause while also allowing anyone to digitally “sign” one.
“The idea that you could get so many people to all agree on something that could do legitimate good really interested me a lot,” said Marotta. “I was talking with my roommate and we were just thinking about what could get everyone on campus to start talking about something in so much mass. We decided to start a petition to open up Erie Hall.”
The petition was brought up by Student Association President Jefferson Dedrick during the general assembly meeting on Jan. 29. The general assembly discussed possible solutions for the currently vacant building, solutions that Dedrick said he would bring to FSA. Monica White, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, suggested to bring FSA to the general assembly in order to give an explanation for the closing of the building.
The homestyle dining hall located in the Kirkland quad, composed of Disney, Kasling, Grissom and Eisenhower halls, closed after the Spring 2013 semester.
“Unfortunately, when the decision was made to close Erie, it was strictly an economic decision,” said Faculty Student Association (FSA) executive director Darin Schulz.
Within one day, the petition had been signed over 500 times. As of Saturday, Jan. 31, the petition had 731 signatures from students and faculty members alike. It even caught the attention of the FSA faculty, who decided to use the situation as an opportunity to explain to the campus community why the decision had to be made.
“Meal plan [purchases] dropped over 400 per year from 2010 to 2013 and over 500 per year from 2010 to 2015,” said Schulz. “That is over $2 million of meal plan revenue, per year, that FSA does not have to cover expenses.”
In 2012, Centre Pointe averaged 1,822 daily transactions Monday through Thursday, followed closely by the C-Store with 1,541. Erie Dining Hall operated with 534 transactions, only surpassing Trendz with 305 transactions per day.
Closing the eatery where he enjoyed the majority of his lunches was certainly not easy for Schulz. In an attempt to save the establishment, FSA was able to produce one other option.
“The alternative would have been to keep Erie open but raise meal plans by over twelve percent,” said Schulz. “This would have been an increase of $600 per student per year. We have to make decisions based on economics and based on where the volume of students are going, and, unfortunately, that just was not Erie Dining Hall.”
In the nearly two years since its closure, FSA has visited the idea of attempting to reopen Erie, but has found it to be nearly monetarily impossible.
“Erie Dining Hall is in need of a major renovation,” said Schulz. “Most of the equipment is over 15 years old, and to bring it up to current standards would require a $2,000,000 to $3,000,000 capital commitment.”
In the meantime, FSA has been in the process of developing new and healthy ways to continue to improve Fredonia’s current eating establishments.
“With the FREDFit initiative that was brought by Dr. Herman and through Student Affairs, we are going to be rolling out FREDFit decals on daily options that would meet the FREDFit criteria,” said Schulz, “We’ll be doing that to help the students and customers make healthy decisions.”
In order to continue improving and satisfying their customers, the staff of FSA is available for and open to student suggestions.
“If there is a problem or question or concern, my door is always open,” said Schulz. “Ask the questions. I want to know what students desire. It may not be possible, but maybe it is.”