Finishing Touches
Nearly two years after the start of construction, Ernie Davis Hall is one step closer to being fully open.
The new dining center, which opened Saturday at 4:30 p.m., has 500 seats, making it the largest dining center on campus.
David George, director of Syracuse University Food Services, said in an e-mail interview that while there is still work to be done in the dining center, everything necessary for it to function is in place.
‘As with any new project or renovation, there are often a few items that take a little longer than expected,’ he said. ‘These could be things like finish work or amenities such as televisions or decorative items.’
Ernie Davis will service students who previously ate at Haven Dining Center. Plans for the now-closed dining facility are still underway, and the university will begin construction once studies on how to best use the space are completed, George said.
However, Food Services has moved the entire staff from Haven’s dining facilities to Ernie Davis and hired an additional 12 employees to accommodate the size of the new center, George said.
The hours at Shaw Dining Center have also changed because of the opening of Ernie Davis. Instead of staying open until 9 p.m., Shaw will close at 7:30 p.m.
The only people eating at Ernie Davis the night it opened were residential advisers and early arrivers, said Liz Watson, a sophomore exercise science major and an RA for DellPlain Hall. But as students returned from Winter Break, the dining center began attracting more students. By noon Monday, it was hard to find an empty table.
Watson ate dinner at the new dining center the night it opened. She said the bare concrete makes it look slightly unfinished.
‘It’s really industrial, and a little too stark. If it wasn’t concrete, I would like it more,’ Watson said. ‘I think the food is a little better than Shaw’s (dining center), and I like that it’s closer.’
Ernie Davis Dining Center is an environmentally sustainable facility and is LEED-certified. Many of the features, from dishwashing to the kitchen lighting, use energy-efficient technologies, George said.
‘The ware washing room contains a dishwashing machine which is one of the most state-of-the-art energy-efficient units available,’ George said. ‘We will be re-circulating the water used to rinse plates prior to them being cleaned and sanitized.
‘We are also incorporating re-circulating cooling systems for refrigeration,’ he said.
Despite predictions that many students would flock to the new dining center, special arrangements to accommodate high traffic were not necessary, George said.
The convenience store, which was planned to open at the beginning of this semester, is still unfinished. Food Services expects to complete construction of the convenience store by Spring Break. But it may be done before that if materials arrive earlier, as promised by suppliers, George said.
The Ernie Davis gym, which will open Tuesday at 8 a.m., will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The facility is open to all students from SU and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Everything for the gym will be finished by the first day of classes. Joseph
Lore, director of recreation services, said he expects the gym to be very busy on the first day based on the student reaction he has received.
‘From my experience, at the start of the spring semester through January, the fitness centers are very busy,’ he said.
The facility is equipped and the staff is prepared to accommodate the high number of students throughout the semester, Lore said.
The gym includes three unisex bathrooms with showers, 15 treadmills, 13 elliptical machines, six stationary bicycles, six climbers, three rowing machines, 12 weight machines and a multitude of free weights.
Besides Archbold Gymnasium, the Ernie Davis facility is the only other workout area open to all SU students that has free weights, Lore said.
Aside from the treadmills, all of the cardio equipment in the new gym is battery-powered and energy efficient, Lore said.
‘Besides the treadmills and three stair-climbers at the Goldstein Student Center, cardio machines are battery-powered across all our gym facilities,’ Lore said. ‘It’s all self-powered.’
Josh Albert, a sophomore writing major, said he is glad the dining center and gym will be finished after a long construction process.
Albert said the new dining center looks finished and that he plans on eating there often.
‘This dining hall is definitely better than Shaw,’ he said.
Once all the aspects of Ernie Davis are completed, including the dining center, gym and convenience store, there will be a grand-opening ceremony. It will include food specials and prizes and will involve all aspects of the building, George said.
Published on January 18, 2010 at 12:00 pm
