Ansley Dale
Features Editor
The cafeteria and library are traditional social hot-spots for Mississippi University for Women students, but COVID-19 has changed that.
Students at The W are adapting to changes this semester in how they can access the cafeteria and library services. Both areas now have new procedures that are helping them keep the buildings safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lakeydra Walls, the marketing coordinator of Cafeteria Services, said the cafeteria’s first priority is the safety of the students, staff, and guests.
“Before school started, we had a [commercial] team come in and clean everything,” said Walls. “They cleaned everything from the tables to the carpet to each of the stations.”
Walls also said the cafeteria implemented a new system for queueing and receiving food.
“We tried to do a one-way method,” Walls said. “We put down floor decals, and we set up crowd dividers so people wouldn’t be running into each other.”
The new method will hopefully eliminate contact while students get their meals. Changes like these were not the only ones.
In the past, the cafeteria allowed vendors to serve themselves, but Walls said that is no longer permitted.
“The biggest adjustment is that students are not able to serve themselves,” said Walls.
In avoiding cross-contamination, vendors point at the food they want, an employee fills the plate and then passes it under the plastic shield with a pack of disposable utensils.
Many students found the changes to be necessary and practical.
Nicole Rensink, a junior at The W, said she has no problem relinquishing self-service.
“I actually prefer it this way,” she said. “I don’t have to worry about touching plates that other people have touched, and I don’t have to worry about reaching under the plastic shield.”
Rensink said it will take time for the new ways to become normal, but she is willing to wait.
Across campus, the library experienced the same need for adjustments.
Amanda Powers, professor and Dean of Library Services said the library’s biggest challenge was eliminating social interactions while maintaining a welcoming atmosphere.
“One of the biggest things was swipe access,” said Powers. “And what that has allowed us to do is control the population in the library.”
Powers was concerned about the unmonitored influx of students and guests who use the library’s resources. The library has always been a fixture in The W community, and she said they did not want to take that away.
“The public can still make appointments, but it’s just one person at a time,” Powers said.
She wanted to make sure everyone stayed safe while enjoying the library’s atmosphere, even if that meant downsizing.
“We have gone down to just 136 seats in the library. We just took out everything that was closer than six feet,” she said.
Powers said that the amount of furniture was decreased, and the seating areas were spaced out. The personal study pods were added to the study room reservation list to keep records of contact tracing and the cleaning schedule.
Brielle Bush, a senior at The W, said she struggled with the changes but knew they were necessary.
“I am so used to catching up with friends at the library and getting a study room,” said Bush. “But now you have to be alone in study rooms and keep your distance.”
She said she wished the library was at normal operation, but a restricted operation is better than nothing.
“If I had to choose between COVID library and completely closed, I would choose COVID library any day,” Bush said. “At least I get to see people again. And these guidelines will help the library return to normal operation.”
For now, the library and cafeteria will look a little different than usual. The directors and administrators are working hard during these uncertain times to bring students the resources they need.
Fant Memorial Library is open seven days a week with a 24/7 computer lab. Hogarth Dining Center is open Sunday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.