A revolution in college dining

Joseph Lepordo eats lunch in his college's cafeteria a few times a week. But the 19-year-old sophomore also dines on campus at less convenient times -- sometimes late at night after work.

This year, at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, residential restaurants at Fox Hall and South Campus have changed to continuous dining, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. And for students like Lepordo, there's also Mahoney's at Fox Hall, where he can make late-night runs for chicken fingers and fries.

''It's a lot better than last year, when you could go to the dining halls only during set hours," said Lepordo, of Somerville.

From early risers to nighthawks, vegetarians to fast-food fans, students with nearly any eating preference can find dining contentment at colleges and universities in the Boston area.

And it's not just the food and the hours that have changed. Redesigned facilities offer food courts, open kitchens, and made-to-order everything.

Like at UMass-Lowell, traditional dining halls at many schools stay open later and longer, often from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., with continuous service between meals. Food service officials say this shift is a response to the changing eating habits of students, and the recognition by colleges that, when it comes to food, the students are foremost customers.

''We've learned that kids eat five or six smaller meals a day, not three big meals," said Joshua Hubbard, director of dining services at Boston University. ''We've had to adapt to their different styles of eating."

These changes, implemented over the past five to 10 years, reflect an increasing interest nationally in ethnic food, trends toward healthy eating, and the evolution of on-campus dining from a boring cafeteria line to a social event.

''The kids going to college now are products of the 1980s when there was a lot of food awareness," said Chris Monti, director of dining services for Aramark at UMass-Lowell. ''They're very astute and much more aware of what they want to eat and when."

Tufts University helped foment the dining revolution in 1995, said Patti Klos, director of dining and business services.

Inspired by innovative restaurants around the country, Klos said, she and her colleagues began to change the college's approach to food service.

Before, she said, schools took an institutional approach ''where sameness was an objective to control costs and have predictable results. Today's student's relevant experience is restaurants, not other institutions."

At Tufts, Dewick-MacPhie dining hall went from a salad bar, a deli bar, and a hot-food line to 10 ''platforms where much more variety is available," Klos said. And among the offerings are ''the vegan-vegetarian favorite beans, greens, and grains."

In 1997, UMass-Lowell turned South dining hall into a food court-style venue where chefs prepare made-to-order entrees, including Mexican and vegetarian fare, pizza, burgers, and hotdogs, in view of the students. Fox, the university's other dining hall, followed suit this year.

Tufts junior, Kelley Ferro, 20, of Woodstock, Vt., said she particularly enjoys special dining hall events, such as Mardi Gras night when shrimp is served.

''The staff decorates," she said. ''It's cute."

At many schools, residence halls aren't the only eating venues on campus. Using meal plan/debit card procedures or cash, UMass-Lowell students can purchase meals at Southwick Lounge, a huge food court offering everything from yogurt to steak dinners.

Students at Simmons College drop by The Fens Cafe in the main college building to sample sirloin cheeseburgers, citrus chicken or Greek pasta salad, or visit Java City for coffee, pastries, and sandwiches in a Starbucks-style atmosphere.

''The other day they had a jazz band playing there. It's very relaxing," said Sarah Creed, 20, a senior from Tyngsborough.

Starbucks, Jamba Juice, and other retail outlets share space at BU's Union Court. Built modular-fashion within the school's George Sherman Union, its concepts can change easily as student needs change, said Hubbard.

''They have really good sushi there," said Alexandra Oates, 20, a junior from Belmont who eats occasionally at the Union.

Other changes in dining services were made to encourage socializing.

The Tower Cafe in the Tisch Library at Tufts uses an upscale coffee shop atmosphere -- soft seating and cafe tables -- to promote student-faculty mingling outside the classroom.

On-campus convenience stores -- such as one that opened at Simmons in 2001, and another set to open at UMass-Dartmouth in the spring, the first at that school -- add further options for campus eating, albeit the option of grabbing snack items off the shelves.

Student input has been a big part of the changes. Dining at Simmons in 2001, freshman Emelia Parker ate only salad bar offerings for lunch and dinner.

''In the entree line, instead of light chicken breasts, you got dark meat and mouthfuls of fat," said Parker, a May graduate now studying physical therapy at Simmons School for Health Studies.

In 2002, Parker met with Amanda McLoughlin, then the director of dining services.

Together they created the Student Food Committee, Parker said, through which dining service representatives and students work together on issues such as which foods will be available on a regular basis.

Around the same time, Simmons renovated its main dining facility, Bartol Hall, adding food court options. Today, at a saute station, students can choose from vegetables; grains; proteins including chicken, fish, and tofu; and sauces for chefs to cook in plain view.

Another station, The Grainery, offers vegetarian and vegan choices.

''Two years ago, you walked in and saw a bulletin board listing food choices," said Roy Schifilliti, director of business affairs at Simmons. ''Now you see people cooking and smiling."

Fresh is the big message that college dining managers are working to get across, said Sharon Coulson, president of the National Association of College and University Food Services in Lansing, Mich.

''Schools have always used fresh foods, but the telling of the story has changed," Coulson said. ''Instead of slicing tomatoes in the kitchen, they've moved the slicer out front, or placed tomatoes in a basket as decoration."

Some schools also place nutrition information at food stations.

''We work with dietitians on campus if students have questions about their diets," Schifilliti said. ''We also put out information on healthy choices and good eating habits, and address eating disorders in partnership with the campus health center."

BU's Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences works with the school's dining services to encourage healthy eating, encouraging meetings between students and nutrition specialists, and promoting educational events.

A daily Sargent Choice entree features healthy meals such as marinated chicken, sauteed broccoli, and brown rice pilaf.

''My parents are very pleased with the food here," said Pamela Seiple, 19, a sophomore from Union, N.J. ''They didn't have this kind of huge variety when they were in college."