Columbia And Barnard To Allow Indoor Dining At All Dining Halls

Upper West Side NY

13 October, 2021

11:59 AM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY BELLA DRUCKMAN OCTOBER 10, 2021 The ban on indoor dining at Columbia dining halls prevented students from taking part in the quintessential college dining experience. Students could no longer recount the previous evening's occurrences over a lazy Sunday brunch inside John Jay, interrupted only by a desire for more pancakes or sausage. Starting Oct. 13, though, Columbia and Barnard Dining will allow indoor seating at residential dining halls. Although Barnard Dining allowed indoor seating at the beginning of this academic year, indoor seating was paused at Barnard on Sept. 25 to review COVID-19 transmission data on campus. After reviewing the data, Barnard decided it is safe to resume indoor dining. Unlike Barnard, this is the first time since March 2020 that Columbia Dining will allow indoor seating. Although masks will be required upon entering and exiting the dining halls and when collecting food, vaccinated students on meal plans may remove their masks while eating. Students who choose to eat in the dining halls can return to the servery as many times as they wish. However, students who eat indoors may not also pack to-go containers. For students who want to eat outside or do not have time to sit down for a meal, the to-go option is still available, though Columbia Dining will return to the policy that students may only take one to-go container. Barnard Dining has not announced a to-go container limit. In order to reduce the waste produced by takeout dining, Columbia Dining is reintroducing reusable to-go containers. First-year students on the dining plan may use a dining token received on move-in day to collect a container. Upperclassmen without a token must inform a dining representative that they do not have a token but will still be able to receive a container. As the weather cools, the Furnald, Low, and Hamilton tents will be equipped with heaters. Students should be prepared to show proof of vaccination in addition to a green pass whether they are eating in one of the tents or one of the dining halls, as both qualify as indoor dining spaces. This dining change comes after a decrease in positive tests on campus. Between Sept. 27 and Oct. 3, 19 positive cases were reported across the Columbia community. The previous week, 36 Columbia community members tested positive. The Columbia and Barnard Dining teams will continue to adjust their operations as campus COVID-19 transmission data requires. "I believe that while we're doing everything with an abundance of caution to keep people safe, the longer we don't have dining rooms or events on campus, the more likely it is people will go off campus where it's not a fully vaccinated community and that I worry about." Scott Wright, vice president for campus services, said. "Keeping a lingering level of positive testing, it's going to prohibit us from having events and dining rooms and it becomes this circular thing." Deputy Arts & Entertainment Editor Bella Druckman can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @bella_druckman. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.