Marquette's dining services are likely headed for a large-scale overhaul based on a presentation by Jim McMahon, dean of the Office of Residence Life, at Thursday's Marquette Student Government meeting.

McMahon presented a rundown of the dining proposal.,”Marquette's dining services are likely headed for a large-scale overhaul based on a presentation by Jim McMahon, dean of the Office of Residence Life, at Thursday's Marquette Student Government meeting.

McMahon presented a rundown of the dining proposal. The changes include more flexible meal plans and possibly restaurant-style dining halls.

McMahon said he would like to see the plans finalized in the next 10 days.

Over the past two years, the Office of Residence Life has been studying Marquette's dining situation through outside consultants and several student focus groups, he said at the meeting. McMahon said his office found food service ranked as a high priority for Marquette students, higher even than housing.

"This certainly came as a surprise to us," McMahon said.

Students' main concerns were the quality and variety of the food offered as well as the value of the food for the price of the meal plans, McMahon said.

Marquette brought the issues to Sodexho, the university's food service provider.

"We told them they needed to step up and address these concerns," McMahon said.

Sodexho later presented the plan of creating "distinct dining destinations," or restaurant-style dining halls. At the Senate meeting, McMahon showed a video created by Sodexho presenting their proposal.

The revamped dining halls would feature single meals as well as restaurant-style decor. The "destinations" included Asian and Italian-style halls as well as a "fresh market," offering fresh produce and vegetarian options, and an additional hall offering American fare and extended hours.

According to McMahon, students' response to the plan was "underwhelming."

"People didn't seem very excited about it," McMahon said.

To test the plan, Schroeder Hall will run a pilot program in its dining hall next year, featuring a rotation of the ethnic offerings. Marquette will gauge students' response to the pilot before considering further changes, McMahon said.

In addition to the possible dining hall renovations, the proposal includes creating more flexible meal plans. MarquetteCASH would be added to each plan. The carte blanche meal plan would include $100 in MarquetteCASH, the block 175 plan would include $200 and the block 125 would include $300. The 14 and 19 meal-per-week plans would be phased out.

Locations accepting meal "swipes" would also increase. Students would be able to spend their allotted meals at Marquette Place, a food court in the Alumni Memorial Union, as well as at Brew locations. Marquette Place would feature a convenience store offering, among other items, a bakery and gourmet sandwiches, McMahon said. He said he hopes to see the changes in place by next fall.

The plan would also call for the closing of the dining hall in O'Donnell Hall. McMahon cited poor attendance, bad ventilation and antiquated design as reasons for the closure.

McMahon said he realized the dining hall helped create a sense of community among the residents of the all-male dorm, but he said community could be established in other ways.

"I would think we could take advantage of the dining hall space in other ways that would be beneficial to the guys in O'Donnell," McMahon said.

Josh Pfaff, a College of Arts & Sciences freshman and O'Donnell resident, said the closure of the dining hall would be a major inconvenience.

"We already have to walk all over campus on weekends," Pfaff said. "I don't think we'd like to do that for every meal."

Sodexho would foot the brunt of the cost for the dining plan, McMahon said. The only price increases for students would be inflationary. Any price increases would have to be approved by the board of trustees and would be announced in January, he said.

Billy Doerrer, a Schroeder Hall senator and College of Arts & Sciences sophomore, said the plan should focus on improving the quality of food.

"A lot of times you're lucky to get a warm burger or a slice of pizza that's not undercooked," Doerrer said.

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