Correction: Larson Commons, in the midst of a renovation, will remain open until after the 2024-2025 academic year closes. Information about when it will close during the renovation project was incorrect in the Nov. 7, 2024, edition of The Collegian.
Sodexo is working to fix a variety of problems this semester as students at South Dakota State University have experienced a multitude of issues.
Some of these issues include long lines, limited food options on the west side of campus and discrepancies concerning what’s open and what’s not open at Jacks Dining locations.
“The biggest struggle I have faced with campus dining is too many people in the dining hall,” Sara Skuodas, a freshman nursing major from Hinton, Iowa, said. “The cooks can’t keep up with making the food and there is nowhere to sit.”
Matthew Frederiksen, who was recently named the operations manager at Sodexo, said he is already implementing changes to campus dining. He explained what his upcoming plans are for the coming months.
“One of the major things we are trying to address is food service availability on the west side of campus,” Frederiksen said. “Larson Commons is in its last year [before renovations] and will not be open in the spring. It will be relocated in different areas.”
Frederiksen said plans are not finalized yet but will be in the coming weeks.
Allie Luedert is a sophomore majoring in agricultural communications from Pender, Nebraska. When asked what her biggest struggle with campus dining is, Luedert said: “I live in Hansen Hall. My biggest struggle with campus dining is the limited options that are only located in one area of campus.”
Food availability is even more limited on the weekends and can be a problem for those who enjoy the variety of options that Jacks Dining offers during the weekdays.
“When I stay on the weekends, it’s disappointing because a lot of the places have more limited times that they stay open because there are less people on campus,” Luedert said. “But what about the people that do stay?”
The number of SDSU students using Jacks Dining options drop significantly over the weekends, Frederiksen said. Studies have shown that the student population drops by almost 50% on the weekends.
“(In) any business you look at what you’re serving and what you need to staff,” he said.
Frederiksen thanked students who stay on the weekends and are able to work for Sodexo.
“With any operations corporation, finding workers is hard,” he said. “I appreciate students’ work, especially international students. We are lucky in that aspect as we do have quite a big employee workflow.”
Students also have experienced inconveniences in the university’s app that lets students know when Jacks Dining locations are open.
“There have been numerous times that I have walked to the Student Union because the app says that a location is open, and when I get there, it is closed,” said Breea Utendorfer, a sophomore psychology and early childhood education major from Green Isle, Minnesota.
When asked what the issues are with opening and closing times and how the app does not always reflect the same times as dining locations, Frederiksen said: “We need to figure out the app. Our contracts reflect different times than the app. I understand the disappointment in students, and we are working on it.”
