By Kyra Palumbo
2021 is here, which means change, and with change come improvements! There are a couple things that have remained the same at Western New England University when it comes to COVID-19 policies. Because all students were coming back from a break much like in the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, they were required to be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival. This rule stays in place to stop the spread of the virus among faculty, staff and students.
In addition, the school put into place a one week period where the dining hall was strictly grab-and-go to ensure safety amongst returning students, which is the same policy that was in place at the beginning of the fall semester. This encouraged students to eat in their rooms, only being exposed to their roommate or suitemates without masks on.
The termination of the grab-and-go period was determined by the number of cases we currently had at the school. Going forward, if the number remains relatively low and President Johnson and his staff feel it is safe for us, they will keep tables open in the University Commons, Campus Center and the upstairs dining hall lounge for students and faculty to eat lunch with their friends.
This brings me into our first change, or update rather. Western New England University now uses the iPhone and Android app, OpenTable. This app is used at real restaurants around the country to make a reservation for your party. The University is using this app to reserve tables in eating areas such as the Bear’s Den, the third floor of the dining hall, and even space in the Campus Center.
By using this app, you will not only be prepared to have a nice meal with your friends, but you will also be helping the school to keep track of capacity limits in said eating areas. Monitoring capacity will allow for a safer experience on campus by limiting the chance for the spread of the virus.
It is not required to make a reservation; however, it is highly recommended to promote the safety of all students as well as making sure you have somewhere to enjoy your food. Every person in the party attempting to eat a meal together will be asked to make their own reservation if that is the route you chose.
Each reservation is suggested to be no more than 45 minutes to allow others to gather with their friends. You can book in advance or the day of and when it is time for your seating, you just have to check in and enjoy!
The second app that the University is using more this semester is Transact. As of right now, you can order ahead from either Starbucks or the Grille. A couple things that I noticed about the selection process was that Starbucks did not have all the drinks on the menu, or at least I just didn’t see my favorite, the passion fruit iced tea with lemonade.
Secondly, I was not sure if they have implemented the sandwiches at Starbucks on the app yet because of how new that is. I believe this is the same for the rotating restaurants that went in place of Firehouse Subs. I am guessing that ordering ahead for the rotating restaurant will soon be on the app.
Also on the app, you can easily see the hours of operation of the different places on campus, which I think comes is helpful if you’re like myself and never know when any of the food or buildings close off the top of your head.
Lastly, we have Schedulicity making its way back on campus for another semester to reserve times and machines in the AHLC as well as slots for events on campus. This is due to the winter season being among us, which forces clubs and organizations to create events based indoors and thus having a lower maximum capacity than being outside based on the orders in place by Massachusetts Governor Baker for our wellbeing. Schedulicity also provides organizations the ability to prepare for their events by seeing how many people sign up.
I know change can be scary, but I think these apps will bring peace of mind to administrative staff as well as students. As a student, I am excited to put these apps to the test, especially the Transact ordering at Starbucks for when I am running late to class, which seems to happen a lot!
