The brand new dining hall Woodland, attached to Forest, has created a lot of buzz on campus. Its newness and uniqueness gives it an edge over the already established dining halls (Gresham and Wright), but is it worth the hype?
Some say that Woodland is the best thing since sliced bread, and others say it isn’t all its talked up to be. When you first walk in, you notice it doesn’t seem like you are at a dining hall on campus, yet you still have the annoying long lines. The food is high quality stuff compared to the mysterious concoctions we are served at Wright or Gresham. You can order an actual hamburger, or eat on a real plate! These things may seem ridiculous, but to a college kid, this makes you feel pretty classy.
From ordinary pizza and sandwiches, to steak and frozen yogurt, this place has it all. Once you’ve sifted the options and made your decision, you are finally ready to go find a seat. As you walk into the seating area, you instantly feel like you are at a restaurant trying to find a table. The booths and fancy lights help establish an environment that is far from what you experience at the other dining halls, and we can’t forget the mood-setting fireplaces and fancy piano.
So what’s next? Does this mean that eventually all dining halls will be like Woodland? Will we eventually get tired of Woodland and demand something even more elegant? And what does this mean for the tuition for future students? Will the prices continue to raise along with the demand for nicer, higher quality dining services? Has IU created a new standard at which ALL dining halls must be able to withhold?
In my opinion, it would be AWESOME to have all the dining halls similar to the Woodlands. Although it may take quite a few years, I think IU has made huge strides to enhancing the total dining experience its students receive and it has raised the standards across college campuses in the state and nation.
By: Sam Hendershot