The Article below was published in Vol. 136, Issue 5 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on February 19, 2021.
By Paityn Tabor ’23
Staff Writer
In order to safely serve students, the College made some major alterations for the spring 2021 semester. Campus facilities that look a bit different this spring include the Sports and Recreation Center, the Donnelley and Lee Library, and the Gus and Margie Hart Dining Hall. While many of the changes vary in magnitude, each modification was enacted with the safety of all students, faculty, and staff in mind.
Firstly, the Sports and Recreation Center has altered their hours for the semester. They are now open Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. and Saturday – Sunday 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Upon entering the building there are various protocols that students must follow. Each student, faculty, and staff member must scan their College ID and present their current Campus Clear status to the front desk staff member. They also must wear a mask at all times within the building, including while working out.
In order to partake in an individual workout, one needs to reserve a time slot through the LibCal reservation system. Also, much of the workout equipment, especially the machines in the cardio suite, have been positioned in a way that allows for an ample amount of distance between each machine.
“Our focus is allowing a mental and physical health outlet for the College community, while also ensuring the safety of students, faculty, and staff. Proper mask-wearing and equipment cleaning are both crucial to this end. Our staff has significantly increased the amount of hourly cleaning done on equipment,” explained Operations Director for Athletic Facilities, Mike Raymond.
Similar to the Sports and Recreation Center, the Donnelley and Lee Library has begun using the LibCal reservation system for students to reserve study seats. In addition to the LibCal system, students must wear a mask at all times while inside the Library, abstain from eating, and avoid moving any furniture in order to uphold social distancing. Students must also wipe their study space with sanitizer before and after use by utilizing the sanitizing stations that are available throughout the library.
The library has also modified its hours for the semester and is now open on Monday – Thursday from 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Friday from 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. However, the Oppenheimer Center, the main level computers, and the seating next to the Cyber Café remain open 24/7 via swipe card access.
“Our library has implemented contactless check out and pick-up systems in order to minimize the chances of viral spread. We have also reduced seating capacity by 50%, installed plexiglass, and carefully placed furniture to accommodate social distancing. Librarians also continue to support students’ research through Zoom classroom visits and online reference appointments,” explained Director Cathy Mayer.
Furthermore, the Hart Dining Hall and Parkhurst Dining have endured significant modifications in order to safely serve the College community. First, upon entering the dining hall, one must exchange their green carabiner clip for a green microwavable and washable food container. Each green container comes equipped with individually wrapped plasticware that contains a fork, knife, spoon, napkin, and salt and pepper. Masks are also mandatory in the dining hall.
Additionally, self-service options are suspended in the dining hall. Parkhurst staff serves students almost everything, and the items that students grab themselves, such as various desserts and beverages, have had their packaging modified in order to limit contact. For example, the dining hall now prepares desserts in contactless containers and is also packaging many desserts with a heat sealer machine. Cereal is being packaged in to-go containers as well.
“It’s all about speed,” explained the general manager of Parkhurst Dining at Lake Forest College, Bill Langlois. “Everything is now made to-go and we are trying to make this as convenient as possible for everyone.”
Since everything is made to-go and students are no longer serving themselves, Parkhurst has implemented an “Inspired Eats” station in order to accommodate those with dietary restrictions or allergies. This section serves food that is free from the top allergens and is made separately.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the dining hall’s capacity was reduced from 500 students to 142 students. The tables have been arranged in order to maintain social distancing and the room has been divided into three sections through the use of partitions. There are also signs on every table that indicate whether or not that seat has been sanitized. When sitting at a table, one simply must flip the sign from “sanitized” to “used” in order to indicate that the seat needs sanitizing once the student has left.
The dining hall has changed its hours also, and is now open Monday – Friday from 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. for breakfast and 10:45 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. for lunch. For dinner, the Caf is open Monday – Thursday from 4:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Friday. On the weekends, the Caf is open on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 4:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. It is important to note that the Caf is closed from Saturday at 2:00 p.m. until Sunday at 4:30 p.m.
