By Phillip Hutchison / Asst. News Editor
Different outlook (Jarred Jackson / Staff Photographer)
By Phillip Hutchison / Asst. News Editor
To many students returning to Riverside City College after the summer escape, the cafeteria may have seemed a little bit different.
The room was overhauled during the summer semester to better accommodate the student body, as well as many more subtle changes, that have evidently made quite the difference in the eyes of the students here.
Among the many changes in the dining room, the first to be pointed out by students was the new microwaves in the cooking area.
Last year, there were only two smaller microwaves and according to students and faculty alike, one of them was almost always broken, leaving only a single microwave oven for students and faculty.
Cheryl Ruzak, director of food services, said that she was extremely pleased with the new look and feel of the cafeteria.
“The students seem to be staying longer, networking and studying more in the cafeteria than last fall,” she said. “This is a definite plus for campus business, as the students are more likely to spend their time and money on campus if the facilities are more appealing to them than going to get something at the local Jack in the Box or some other such fast food establishment.”
In addition to the physical changes of the dining area, the menu itself has also been reworked.
At the request of the students themselves, newer, healthier menu items have been created and are available on request at the counter or elsewhere in the cafeteria.
This will also contribute to the prolonged business of the on campus student body, allowing for a wider selection of goods, for any kind of student with any kind of diet.
Another new change being implemented by the cafeteria in partnership with the Associated Students of Riverside City College is the promotion of new mug and voucher programs.
These are two separate programs that are being instituted to help students as well as the cafeteria.
The voucher program will be a way to help students who have classes all day and don’t have the time or money to necessarily stop at the cafeteria for refueling.
Joey Reynoso, vice president of the ASRCC, said that there were a number of requirements for the program, but the only ones confirmed were the existence of a 2.0 GPA, as well as a written statement of why students would benefit from the program.
The second new agenda laid out from this partnership is the introduction of exclusive RCC mugs that will be available to any and all students.
The mug will cost $5 to purchase, and the funds will go straight to a trust fund for the college itself.
The mug will grant anyone who has one refills on coffee and soda for only a dollar, thereby providing a cheaper and greener alternative over the usual paper cups many students are used to.
As a place used by so many of the students and even some of the faculty, one can only hope these changes continue to sustain and improve the cafeteria.
