John Jay

As most college students know, the joys of dining hall eating are few and far between, and most of us would rather just have a nice home-cooked meal. However, eating in a dining hall is part of living on a college campus. There are many different ways to have fun, but sadly, at Columbia University, few of them involve the food.

Columbia Dining Services is looking to make major changes in its operations and in the hours of its locations this semester and the next, according to Executive Director of Dining Services Joseph Heavey.

Eating at John Jay is a game of numbers: 15,000 meals dished out weekly, 30 to 210 meals consumed per term, two meals each day, and endless ways to combine the buffet offerings onto that bright blue tray.

John Jay Dining Hall at Columbia was cited for 32 violation points this January, while Hewitt Dining Hall at Barnard performed comparatively well with nine violation points.

While it may be true that the city is becoming increasingly stringent in its inspections, John Jay should maintain levels of safety and quality high enough to avoid even minor infractions—both to protect students’ safety and to retain their confidence.

Tucked away deep in a corner of Low Library, out of sight of most Columbians, the King’s College Room is a treasure trove of some of this University’s most prized documents, portraits, and valued objects from its earliest history.