We recently looked into just how safe the University of Connecticut’s Storrs campus is, but how well-fed is it? It turns out that the Huskies are quite pleased with their dining arrangements. They’re not the only ones who’ve taken notice, either. The school has won a variety of national awards for their culinary expertise they’re consistently ranked very friendly for gluten free students (an oft-forgotten group), and their sustainability efforts are more than deserving of the applause. Read on to discover what tasty meals await you should University of Connecticut the school of navy, white and gray be your first academic choice.
Rather than having one sole dining hall that serves the entire campus, University of Connecticut students has multiple locations that they call dining units. There’s something unique about each one. Buckley is the place for paninis, Gelfenbien Commons has kosher offerings, McMahon is international themed, North has more traditional grilled foods, Putnam boasts a healthy salad bar and Whitney is dedicated to a local menu.
From this alone, you can see that UConn has placed a great emphasis on variety the key factor that makes college students tell us, “I just really don’t like the food on my campus.” Northwest Marketplace is inspired by popular restaurants and global cuisine, while South Marketplace is a contemporary food court with places like Panda Express, Wendy’s and others. Huskies rave about The Dairy Barn, which dishes out homemade ice cream in its central location and is well-stocked in the Student Union. Grab and Go locations are especially useful for the student who’s always on the run.
On the sustainability front, nearby vendors are sourced whenever possible to provide fresh ingredients and a boost for the local economy. For instance, University of Connecticut states on its official website that fresh fish is caught and delivered daily no packaged or expired foods to be found here. Poultry, produce and honey are among the other ingredients that are procured locally. The Spring Valley Student farm, an opportunity for undergraduates to learn about organic farming, also provides some ingredients.
One reason the school has one so many awards for being green is their commitment to serving food that’s ethically produced without harmful chemicals or a large carbon footprint. Students can pitch new ideas about maintaining this vision at the East Area Council, which meets every other week for a meal and discussion. We love how students are able to make their voices heard and enact real change on the University of Connecticut campus. They’re students, customers and innovators all at the same time.
Students also like that there are multiple options when it comes time to choose a meal plan. We’ve encountered some schools who only have a very basic plan! University of Connecticut has something called the Ultimate Plan, the Value Plan and the versatile Custom Plan. The least expensive at the time of writing costs $5,512 annually, which isn’t the cheapest or most expensive we’ve seen. Thankfully, Huskies seem to agree that the price does align with the quality.
Even the schools with the best dining programs get bashed for having a lack of variety. It’s something that undergraduate diners feel passionately about; millennials seem to have an obsession with food unlike any other generation. UConn is perhaps the first institution that genuinely delivers on the promise of offering a rotating selection of exciting dishes. Fresh ingredients, multiple locations and a social atmosphere have us drooling over a chance to visit the University of Connecticut campus soon. So do we have a future Huskie in our midst?
Ryan James is a ’13 alumnus of Ohio University’s College of Arts & Sciences with a bachelor’s degree in writing and media. He currently works as a copywriter for a Fortune 500 e-commerce corporation based in Columbus, OH.