At its April 15 meeting, Dave Furhman, senior director of food services administration, reported to the Council on plans to convert the Faculty Dining Room in the Dobbs University Center over the summer into a “campus convenience store.” The dining room currently serves “a small group of repeat customers of about 40 to 45 folks,” Fuhrman said. “It does not provide a great service to the wider community.” He added that the Faculty Dining Room operates at a loss of more than $100,000 per year, a loss that is subsidized by student meal plans. “We have seen a decline in the quality and service in our student meal plan program at the DUC in part because of this and some other subsidies we’ve had to finance over the years,” Furhman said. He cited several factors that have come together to instigate this change, including recommendations from the Committee on Class and Labor to eliminate exclusive spaces on campus; an expressed student desire for more informal interaction with faculty; student feedback requesting more dining variety on campus during evenings and weekends; the need to eliminate the financial loss; and the opportunity to test a new retail option as a new student center is being designed. The new store will provide high quality deli sandwiches as well as some speciality products, such as gluten-free, halal, and kosher foods.
I have been shocked to learn this week that the Director of food services administration is considering closing the faculty dining room. I have been a faculty at Emory for 16 years and this facility is one of the best services the University offers. It is centralized and convenient, the food choices are diverse and the price/quality of the food is outstanding. It is a place where faculty and staff can meet informally and one of the few places where you will randomly meet a colleague from another school or department and spontaneously share a meal and conversation. It is a place that offers simple elegance and quiet so that it is possible to have a relaxing conversation (in contrast to the noisy zoo atmosphere of the Cox Hall dining). The claim that it serves only a small group of 40-45 repeat customers is a large misrepresentation of the large variety of people who come to eat there (even President Carter made a few appearances during my time at Emory). It serves a large body of customers and while some are regulars like me and some of my lunch buddies, everyday there are many new faces. Closing this facility to replace it with another fast food sandwich place would be a tragic mistake. Instead it should be expanded, open year-long and be better advertised on campus. A university like Emory deserves to have a quality lunch place where we can take a visiting colleague without the hassle of having to go all the way to the Village or Emory Point.
It is rather disappointing that the faculty dining will be closed. First of all, all major institutions have a faculty dining where faculty can exchange ideas in a relaxed setting. In addition, faculty dining is an ideal place to bring visiting faculty and have informal conversations. While Emory offers other choices, that include COX Hall, those places are not ideal, as they are crowded and noisy, impairing productive conversations. At faculty dining we exchange scientific ideas, discuss new grants and manuscripts and establish important collaborations because this provides a relaxed environment that allows those conversations. I hope this does not happen, I will be very disapointed.
Dr. Van Meir’s comments are 100% correct. In fact it is somewhat shameful that Emory has no place for faculty to congregate and interact other than this dining room. Elimination of this venue would mean there will be no such places on campus. This move is the opposite of what Stanford U. did a few years ago. They created a faculty dining room that was designed specifically to encourage interactions among faculty from different departments and disciplines.
The elimination of the Faculty Dining room, following on the closing of Cafe Antico, would mean that there is no quiet and dignified place in which to entertain visiting speakers and other special guests who come to campus. This is a bad idea.
There seem to be some good reasons offered by the Counsel for solving several problems. However, eliminating the faculty dining room is hardly an ideal solution since it exacerbates without relief a number of other issues as outlined by van Meir, Saavedra and Boss. The student body deserves diversity and space, and they have it in any number of locations around the campus including the frat houses. Why not eliminate the latter exclusive dining options too. This suggestion, of course, would lead to strong objection and protest. And for good reason. These organizations foster connection and support among groups of peer-connected individuals. However, the same applies to the faculty which also needs a quiet place of exchange. I submit that the various problems outlined by the Council or its Chair can be resolved in other productive ways without eliminating the one quiet center in the University storm for faculty.
Shocked and sad to learn that faculty dinning room maybe closing, after having been coming here most days for over 17 years. Yes, perhaps there are 40-50 regular folks like me, but there are many more faculties using the space for meeting with other faculties and visiting colleagues. There is simply no other appropriate place on campus anymore.
As for the financial issue, I am open to simplify the food format, even use some of the same food as DUC. It is the environment and service that we value more rather than the food itself. As for student interaction, I am all for opening the space to students with invitation from the faculties. Rather than eliminating the faculty dining room, why not turning it into a unique space for PROMOTING student-faculty interaction?
Council concerns published a statement saying that Fuhrman said the Faculty Dining Room operates at a loss of more than $100,000 per year,.
So, if they’re serving 40 lunches 180 days a year(it is closed weekends and summer) they are losing $18 per meal. We clearly need new management for the faculty dining room or is my math wrong?
I agree with all the comments left here so far. For the record I am not one of the 45 regulars at the faculty dining club, but show up 3-6 times a year for business lunches, but I appreciate this space when I need to organize a quick business lunch with other Emory faculty. I liked Cafe Antico as well, but this is now gone, too.
I do believe, however, that faculty lunches being charged to student meal plans is also fundamentally wrong. There should not be a 100K / year deficit. I think what most people would be missing is not the food, but the space for group lunches and opportunity to talk to other faculty across the curriculum. For food we could either get ‘faculty meal tickets’ upstairs in the DUC student self-service area, or just a number of takeout service options set up, where one could place an order in the morning, and get the food delivered at lunch. Or bring your own lunch. In any case, plenty of food options could be set up that would not run a 100K deficit / year.
If in the process we could get a nicer space for faculty dining services than the basement of the DUC, maybe we could even come out ahead in this process. The old Cafe Antico space is certainly more appealing, for one.
The main points have been starkly made already: this decision destroys the only option for faculty to have a quiet meal with colleagues on campus and the only place I’d ever care to take a university guest. Deeply depressing and even starker in the contempt shown for faculty input on this decision is the fact that it was reported as an afterthought in the Wheel even before the Faculty Council heard about it.
In reading the Faculty Senate Council Concerns dated April 2014, I realized that I must be one of the “small group of repeat customers” who enjoys the quiet atmosphere and excellent food in the Faculty Dining Room, although I have not seen the supporting data for the numbers cited. I do know that I am not happy to learn that the FDR is closing. My colleagues and I look forward to our shared lunches there in a location that is convenient, pleasant and amenable to conversation. I noticed that the word “student” predominated in the discussion of the fate of the FACULTY dining room. I contend that Emory students already have a range of dining options, but faculty members have only the one venue on campus. The several “factors” that supposedly instigated the FDR closing are not convincing except for the one citing the need to eliminate financial loss. On a college campus, especially one with world class business school expertise, I would hope that more creative ideas and solutions would be proposed for continued, albeit fiscally sound, operation of the FDR instead of turning the room into a “convenience” store serving food already available on campus (including one floor up in the DUC) and offering “specialty” items with surely more restricted appeal to the “wider community” than the FDR. I urge the Faculty Senate to give voice on behalf of their constituent faculty members who are opposed to the closing of the FDR.
I would not consider myself one of the 40-45 regular diners, but I do probably dine at the FDR 10-20 times/year. While it is perfectly reasonable to identify ways to eliminate a $100K deficit, closing the faculty dining room is wrong way to do it. New management or different models requiring less staff and less food waste would be a far better approach. I completely agree with others who have commented that the FDR is the only place for faculty to meet for a quiet conversational meal or to bring outside guests. It would be a shame to lose this facility. The Senate should reconsider this closing.
Dear Mr Furhman,
Dear Mr. Furhman,
I appreciate you taking the time to provide a detailed response as to the elements that motivated your closing of the faculty dining room (FDR).
Here are my comments to your points:
1 and 2. Indeed, the “faculty” dining was mostly attended by faculty, staff and guests, although I never saw the staff refusing entry to anyone and it was not uncommon to see students invited for lunch there. At the same time there is nothing wrong with having both common spaces as well as spaces where students and faculty/staff can have lunch separately. Freedom of expression by both groups can be hampered in mixed spaces too. Students might feel uncomfortable venting about faculty if they sit at the next table and faculty might be uncomfortable spontaneously discussing confidential academic affairs within student ears.
There are plenty of “open” spaces on campus and Cox hall is a demonstration of this. If the ceiling of that space were covered by effective noise absorbing materials it would make this space more friendly and allow for a conversation. Right now it is more noisy than a sports bar. So in the same spirit of inclusivity are you going to open the upstairs student dining to staff/faculty at the same prices as below?
3. Without seeing the specifics it is hard to evaluate why this facility would lose $100,000/year. This appears to be a management issue. Many Emory Faculty/staff have not heard about this somewhat secluded eating facility, a bit more advertising might have increased business. Does Emory overcharge space rent? Is too much food wasted due to improper planning? Is there more staff than is needed?
4. A campus dining venue was installed in the DUC in the former bookstore space. It does not appear to have been much of a success. The food offerings were of course unattractive (sandwiches etc.) so am not surprised it closed. The hospital and children’s hospital have dining facilities that are open 7 days a week. It might be worth advertising that to students if they are not aware of it. Of course again their food quality does not match what we could find at the FDR…
All in all, I think this is a very regrettable decision and the fact that it was kept quiet rather than advertised and presented for debate is very regrettable, especially at a university where a discussion and consideration of alternative ideas would have been the way to go.
Erwin Van Meir
On 4/29/14 8:06 AM, “Furhman, David S.” wrote:
Dear Dr. Van Meir:
Thanks for your thoughts and feedback about the Faculty Dining Room (FDR.)
The decision to close the venue was not an easy one and was certainly not made in haste. A variety of convergent factors brought us to what we feel is the best decision for the university community. Key factors included:
1. The university’s Committee on Class and Labor’s recommendation to eliminate exclusive spaces on our campus with the goal of creating and fostering a more inclusive community;
2. Student interest in interacting more with faculty in an informal setting. We hope to create a more intergenerational environment at Dobbs Market and that our faculty and staff will take advantage of a special pricing program to do just that.
3. Long-term financial losses. The continual losses over the past few years were subsidized through our student meal plans which directly impacted the quality of our residential dining program;
4. Students have expressed a strong interest in a campus dining venue that offers a greater variety and hours of operation. And, since space is at such a premium on our campus, the FDR space may provide a greater service if it served the entire community from early morning to late night seven days each week.
Also, it’s important to note that the staff of the FDR has been top of mind throughout this process. Be assured that each and every staff member has been guaranteed a similar and appropriate position at the Dobbs Market.
While we can’t replicate the FDR experience, we are pleased to introduce a new program for Fall 2014 that provides faculty and staff entry to the all-you-care-to-eat Dobbs Market in the DUC with greatly reduced prices. The economy of scale in Dobbs Market allows discounted faculty and staff meals to be offered with no subsidy from the student board plan:
Breakfast: $6.00 (normally $7.79)
Lunch/brunch: $7.00 (normally $11.43)
Dinner: $10.00 (normally $12.47)
As well, we’ll also offer faculty and staff one free meal for every three purchased.
I hope you’ll take advantage of all that is offered at Dobbs Market.
Regards.
—–Original Message—–
From: Van Meir, Erwin
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2014 6:12 PM
To: Furhman, David S.
Cc: Wagner, James W
Subject: planned closing of the faculty dining
Dear Mr Furhman,
I have been quite surprised and disappointed that we hear a week before summer break that you plan the closing of the faculty dining.
This is very unfortunate as this is one of the best and most collegial places at Emory where many different people (faculty and staff) randomly meet and we take guests regularly.
The claim that it just serves about 40 regular faculty is not accurate. I took a picture last time I went for lunch (attached) and you can see it is quite well attended.
More comments have been posted on the faculty Senate blog. Why not engage the faculty in a discussion about the function of this unique place and reconsider a faculty club at Emory, perhaps with an annual membership fee like it is done at other elite universities.
I hope you will reconsider.
Erwin G Van Meir, Ph.D.
Professor of Neurosurgery and Hematology & Medical Oncology Leader, Winship Cancer Institute Cancer Cell Biology Program Director, Graduate Program in Cancer Biology
Emory University
1365C Clifton Rd NE, room C5078
Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
+1-404-778-5563 (phone)
+1-404-778-5550 (fax)
evanmei [at] emory [dot] edu
This is Mr. Furhman’s made up story and he is selling it at premium. If Mr Furhman is a customer at FDR, he will be a repeat customer unless there is a new ‘senior director of food services administration’ every day. Emory faculty is not changing everyday and they will be repeat customers as well. He has not identified steps he has taken to attract more members or steps taken to reduce the overhead. He should travel around other Universities to find out how Faculty clubs are run. It bad for the university to close FDR based on Mr Furhman’s suggestion.
I am a staff member who is not one of the regulars, but enjoy going to a quiet space for a conversation over lunch, which is a unique feature of this on-campus dining room. As a staff member, and as someone in the 1599 Building, I have not seen any advertisement about menus, the location, and/or that the facility is available to staff. It seems that a periodic email to staff and faculty about this quiet-tucked-away eatery would help close the 100K deficit that rightfully is a concern.
I am shocked as well to hear teh news about faculty dining room shutdown. It is a great place for faculty members from across different schools and disciplines to interact. It is also a convenient place to take official visitors for lunch. Without this place, we will have to take our visitors to restaurants, which not only is less convenient but also costs Emory more to host visitors.
At the end of each semester, I like to take my undergraduate teaching assistants out to lunch at the Faculty Dining Room. I cannot think of a better way to foster student-faculty interaction.
I can think of ways to economize the lunches, though I really appreciated the free coffee. I am disappointed at the loss of the dining room.
I totally agree with Erwin and thinks that this “destination” University is thinking small and not like a “destination” University. Eliminating the only place for faculty to dine, gather informally and leisurely, and entertain visitors, is simply a very short-sighted decision. It might save a bit of money, although I don’t believe the statistics of 40-50 repeat customers but it is certainly a decision that is commensurate with a University like Emory. I have yet to find another major university in the US without a faculty dining venue on campus.
“Mr. Furman” and others coveted the faculty dining space and then, after the fact, created and made up reasons for the closing. What is the Provost going to do about this?
Colleagues,
I and many other faculty of Candler School of Theology want to renew this discussion from last year. As plans are being finalized for the Campus Life Center, we are very interested in how the new facility will accommodate the professional needs of the faculty. To be specific, we miss the Faculty Dining Room that was closed in fall of 2014.
Dr. Arun Jones, a faculty member at Candler, has reported that in an email exchange last November about the closing of the Faculty Dining Room, Dean Nair assured him that the new University Center and other projects would create spaces to help address these faculty need for a quieter, more contained dining space. Regarding the new University Center itself, The Emory Report of August 3, quoted Turan Duda, a representative the architectural firm for the project: “We’re in the programming phase now, trying to figure out what should be in the building, what fits.” We hope that the loss of faculty dining space will be addressed creatively in the “innovative morning to late-night board and retail dining… with flexible and varied seating arrangements” publicized in the announcement of the new building on the DUC website.
There are now eighteen of us posted on this blog, but I suspect that we represent the tip of the iceberg. It is clear than there was not any serious faculty input in the decision to close the FDR, and so now is the time for serious input into the plans for the future.
Shall we pick up the discussion again?