Collegiate Times

Food Management Magazine announced last month that Student Programs' Housing and Dining Services was awarded one of the magazine's 2006 Best Concept Awards for Best Renovation for D2.

This award is based on the concept a dining hall has after it has been renovated. Each program that wins gets recognition and is featured in the March 2006 edition of Food Management Magazine. West End won this award in 2000, which inspired the renovation plans for D2 said Lance Mailem, operations manager at D2.

Katie Gehrt, marketing and communications coordinator for student programs, entered D2 for award consideration by preparing an essay highlighting such things as cost and benefits as well as before and after pictures on Dec. 16 last year.

Dining programs was awarded on Feb. 13. The award will be officially presented to the university during a ceremony held in Chicago on May 17-19, said Gehrt.

This is one of the first awards for D2, but only one of many for all of the dining programs at Virginia Tech. The idea for renovation ultimately comes from Tech students. The Dining Services program tries to give the tech community what they want, said Mailem.

Before the renovation began, Dining Services held different focus groups and advisory committees where students discussed what kind of dishes to use and what kind of food they wanted to eat while still providing a low cost option, said Mailem.

The whole renovation took about five to seven years of planning. The cost to transform D2 cost about $6.5 million.

The plans went underway before students went on summer break in spring 2004. The old Dietrich had a layout where it was divided into two halves. One side was shut down while the students were there, and then during the summer, the rest was completed, said Gehrt.

?D2 used to be like a classic cafeteria,? said Christina Lilick, junior wildlife science major. ?You got your tray and walked through the lines behind a wall and they served you the food, which was more plain. Now, its more upscale and the food is much better and the seating is nice, especially with the booths.?

Students have had mixed responses to the change of the dining hall.

?I think the new D2 is way too crowded and the lines are kind of ridiculous,? said Amanda Davis, senior human development major. ?The one thing I do like better about the new D2 is that they have the olives section with lots of vegetarian stuff. As an RA for international students I think that Tech is limited in its choice of dining, but it's a step in the right direction.?