Face-Lift for Delis, Dorms

Correction Appended.

From adding TVs in JJ's Place to renovating two Ruggles suites, many of Columbia's eateries and residence halls underwent significant changes this summer while students were away. Here are some of the highlights:

DINING

• JJ's Place now has a 15-inch flat-screen TV in every booth, each of which is hooked up to a DVD player for movie watching.

• The Uris Deli has done away with made-to-order sandwiches, now offering only prepackaged foods. Also, Flex Points and Dining Dollars will no longer be accepted, making Uris the first cash-only location for CU Dining.

• A buffet breakfast will now be offered in John Jay from Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. A meal swipe procures a to-go box that students may fill with offered hot and cold breakfast foods.

• Halal meals will now be offered in the John Jay Dining Hall. In a collaboration between the Muslim Students Association and the Dining Services Advisory Committee, a Halal entrée, starch, and vegetable dish will be available between the Pasta station and the Chef's Table. Although Halal is not a separate meal plan like Kosher, students participating must have a sticker.

• Bubble tea no longer has a home in Uris, but a new stand run by the same owner will open in Café 212 by October 1. Café East, as it will be called, will offer bubble tea and smoothies.

• Columbia dining locations will no longer serve Starbucks and New England coffee. All coffee beans will now come from Dallis Coffee, a fair trade company from across the bridge in Queens. Dallis has customized a roast especially for Columbia.

• A new Blue Java coffee cart will appear Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. ­- 6 p.m. in the courtyard between Journalism and Furnald.

• To avoid accidents involving melted cheese in toasters in John Jay, Dining Services has purchased a panini grill for students. It is located on the table with the waffle irons.

• Wien Hall Food Court will no longer house Pizza Hut. A CU Dining company called Toasted will take its place, serving hot sandwiches and individual pizzas. In the last academic year, surveys were administered to help decide the fate of the Wien food court, but no major change is in sight at the moment.

• Barnard has changed its meal plan options, offering plans with fewer meals and more points.

HOUSING

• The renovations on McBain are finally complete. All rooms now have hardwood floors, and a fitness center has been added on the first floor.

• Two suites in Ruggles were renovated over the summer. The "L" room was knocked out and the second bathroom was made smaller in order to enlarge the kitchen, making it a community space for eight people. Housing Services projects that the next two summers will be spent renovating all of Ruggles in this fashion.

• The vented room doors in Wien will be replaced with new customized doors in October.

• Woodbridge's basement now offers a computer printing station and a fitness center.

Correction: "Face-Lift for Delis, Dorms" (Sept. 5) incorrectly reported when the renovations to Woodbridge's basement will be completed. The fitness center and computer printing station will be in place within the next few weeks.