On Sep. 3, the Culver-Stockton Student Government Association (SGA) hosted a town hall meeting regarding students’ concerns with changes in dining.
Culver-Stockton Dining Services made several changes for the 2026-2027 school year, especially in the main dining hall. In previous years, the main dining room was a self-serve, buffet style dining, where students chose their portion sizes. This year, things look a bit different.
Isaac Ellison, director of dining experiences, stated, “The main changes to the Café include expanded afternoon service from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., during which students can access the sandwich bar, dessert bar, and salad bar. We have also added a new Grab-and-Go option, which allows students to pick up food if they are unable to make it to a scheduled meal.” Ellison highlighted another change as well, “…our dinner schedule. We no longer serve dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings, but we have added Sunday dinner from 5:00–7:00 p.m.”
In addition to these changes, the dining hall also switched from a self-serve, buffet style of dining to dining workers serving students, leading to longer wait times for students to get food. Ellison also spoke about the new allergen-free station that is available during both lunch and dinner. This station is free from all major allergens and gives students with dietary restrictions another option when dining in the Café.
When asked what the school’s thought process was behind these changes, Ellison answered, “These changes came from a combination of student feedback and research. We listened to what students were telling us about what they wanted and needed from the Café, while also looking at research and best practices related to dining, nutrition, portion control, food service, and allergen safety. The goal was to use that information to create a dining environment that better serves our students. We wanted to provide students with more options throughout the day, give them better control and understanding of their portions, and create a cleaner and more consistent serving environment.”
Along with the longer wait times caused by workers serving students, students have also complained that the portion sizes are far smaller. There has also been a shift in the main dining room towards more healthy food options, meaning that many student favorites were taken off the menu. These changes led to frustration amongst the student body.
“I should be able to go to the dining hall and enjoy my meal instead of having to look for food elsewhere because the quality and options are not appealing, ” said Junior Sidnee Schwarz.
Because of the continuous complaints and concerns from students, the Culver-Stockton SGA hosted a town hall meeting as a way for students to express their frustrations. The administration at the meeting representing the school were Ricky Kirby, vice president of student life, Ellison, and Bryan Archer, director of culinary operations. The main frustrations expressed by students were the quality of food, the wait time/lines, and the short windows of time for meals. In addition to this, students also requested that the serving size and calorie amounts be displayed for each meal.
Schwarz, a member of the women’s volleyball team, attended the town hall meeting. “None of the changes made going into this semester seemed beneficial to a student or student athlete,” Schwarz stated.
Macey Biggins, SGA secretary and sophomore at Culver-Stockton, was asked what the administration planned to do to address the concerns expressed at the town hall meeting. “They’re implementing a new technology system in the spring where students will be able to see the ingredients and portions of the food, along with what’s on the menu,” Biggins said.
She also stated the dining hall will be implementing themed food nights with cuisines from different countries so the international students can “have a piece of home at their new home.” Biggins also said that administration has been working on strategies to shorten the lines and wait times in the main dining hall.
In recent news, the Cat’s Pause (CP), Culver-Stockton’s quick-order grill and dining venue has been shut down since the end of September. Kirby sent an email on Oct. 6 explaining the sudden shutdown to students and faculty. “An enzyme pump in The Caf malfunctioned, and a drain behind the CP overflowed, causing about 1/4 inch of water to pool on the floor in the food preparation area,” Kirby wrote. “Because of this, we hired an external firm to remove all impacted wood (including all counters), dehumidify the tiling, and thoroughly clean and sanitize the area.” Kirby also stated that the work would last until the end of homecoming week, and that since the CP will be largely gutted, students are welcome to send in ideas to reimagine the CP.
