Students, faculty and staff will have to look for places other than the Student Union food court for food once school begins in August. With renovations projected to be complete by October, if not before, the Student Union food court will remain closed until further notice. “I would love an August 16th date, though this seems unrealistic at this point,” Richard Curtis, general manager of Sodexo, said. “I have been in communication with the contractor, and his team is committed to our cause of completion. I have successfully conveyed to him the importance of the Union dining to the NSU students, faculty and staff, not to mention my team, just as soon as possible.” Despite the food court not being open, Sodexo and the University are providing other ways in which students can get food other than the cafeteria. “We will be providing a hot food option,” Curtis said. “We will continue to have operations running at La Maison, now with morning hours, and Powell/White hall. We are also scheduled to open a new operation called “Simply to Go” at Peltier Hall, which should be open at or very near the start of the semester.” “Simply to Go” will provide options such as breakfast items, pastries, coffee, novelty Blue Bell ice cream bars, sandwiches and salad. The hot lunch option will be offered in a section of the Student Union and will include barbeque, jerk chicken, pulled pork and possibly a buffet. For those students who will have time to eat in the cafeteria, Sodexo assures that the cafeteria can take on the addition of students. “Should an issue arise, there are several options I have available to quickly address the concern,” Curtis said. Curtis also said he is aware the renovations will alter the sales Sodexo makes. While the monetary cost of the renovations will not be known for the next few days, Curtis believes the cost of fixing the Student Union goes deeper than any dollar value. “From my perspective, the biggest cost is any inconvenience caused to our guests,” Curtis said. “Sodexo is a partner with the University and is committed to bringing excellence in food and service to our customers.” However, when the food court does reopen, students will be seeing a different set up. Each concept is going to have its own unique style,” Curtis said. “It will look brand new and be enlarged. Offices will be made public.” Accompanying the new style will be new choices and places to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. “There will be Bayou Pizza and Pasta; Wall of Greens, which will have salad toss options where someone will build your salad; grab-and-go salads and sandwiches; The Original Burger Company, which will offer burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders and breakfast; and Sub Connection, which is moving from the C-store in La Maison.” Taking the place of Godfathers will hopefully be The Colonel Retreat. It will offer, “draft beer, bottle beer and upscale bar food such as a gourmet burgers or something you would find at a Chili’s or a WOW.” With the changing atmosphere, there will also be a new schedule, at least on Sundays, to accomodate campus residents who start arriving back on campus in the afternoons. The C-store will open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and The Colonel Retreat will open on Sunday night. All of the decision making and planning was taken by the suggestions on a student survey taken last school year.

Empty tables fill the Student Union on Tuesday. The Union is currently closed for renovations. (Bridget Mire)