Senate member Kathryn Stott addressed dining service availability and convenience to students.

“Why are parts of the Marketplace closing during the evening, when students would likely be there?” Stott asked.

Campus Dining has adjusted dining halls’ hours. An example is Wells Commons, which closes at 2 p.m. on Friday afternoons. Stott suggested long lines in the Memorial Union and at the marketplaces are an inconvenience that is pushing students to dine off campus. Janet Waldron, vice president of administration and finance, said auxiliary enterprises have attempted to keep dining user friendly while adjusting to the suffering economy.

“A part of the issue as we renovate is we’re seeking to alleviate pressure on the Marketplace at noon, but this isn’t working because students aren’t going to the dining halls,” Waldron said.

Faculty is working to devise a plan to encourage students to utilize each of the dining facilities.

“We have to consider cost of operation when deciding whether to keep dining venues open,” Waldron said.

Senate also discussed the quality of dining options. Tina Passman, chair of academic affairs for the senate, mentioned the inconvenience that students in evening classes face in trying to find dining.

“We want students to maintain a good relationship with the library,” Passman said, stating that walking across campus to get to a dining hall during winter does not encourage library attendance. “And there’s no ‘grown-up’ food,” Passman said. Senate members agreed to further examine the situation for solutions.

“We’re very willing to explore other possibilities,” Waldron said.

University President Robert Kennedy talked about funding issues and the restructuring of the University of Maine System’s pricing formula. He said members of the faculty are working with the senate’s executive committee to find solutions to the financial challenges UMaine currently faces.

“The overall funding formula may change,” Kennedy said.

Robert Dana, vice president of Student Affairs, presented his plans for helping UMaine students at risk from emotional or social problems. Dana said about 470 first-year students are considered “high risk” due to academic, social or emotional factors.

“We need to work on reaching out to them,” Dana said. He urged professors to watch for cues that students may be struggling to adjust academically or socially.

The senate also addressed the possibility of an H1N1 outbreak on campus and preventative actions the campus could employ. Wayne Maines, director of safety and environmental management, educated faculty members about plans formulated to prevent occurrence of the swine flu or to contain it if an outbreak occurs. Students and faculty members are encouraged to get a seasonal flu shot, available at Cutler Health Center or through private health care providers. There is a shortage of flu shots this year, according to Maines.

“We asked for 1,500 doses and received 600,” Maines said. This number is still up from last year.

An H1N1 Emergency Response Center has been established. The center adheres to CDC guidelines and is working to educate students about preventative measures that can be taken to help prevent an H1N1 outbreak at UMaine. Primarily, individuals are encouraged to employ simple sanitation techniques such as frequent hand washing. Maines asked that anyone who thinks he or she may be exhibiting H1N1 symptoms stay home from work or school or remain in his or her dorm room if they are a campus resident and to get tested for the virus. Students should also alert university officials if they have confirmed cases of H1N1. Maines recommended individuals get the H1N1 vaccine when it comes out in November. He is organizing a clinic at UMaine that would potentially run for two days: Nov. 9 and 10.

“We plan to have 10 stations set up,” Maines said, citing the fieldhouse as a potential location for the temporary clinic.

Maines said approximately 300 vaccines could be administered per hour, though supplies will be limited. Should an outbreak occur on campus, affected students will have the option to wait it out off campus or be contained to their dorm rooms to avoid spreading the virus to others.

“There are detailed plans in the event an outbreak occurs,” Maines said. These would include increased cleaning of the dorms and specific containment guidelines.

Toward the end of the meeting, the senate majority voted to pass a motion to amend the Faculty Senate presidential term of service. A motion was also passed to set proposed Faculty Senate goals for committees for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Black Bear Dining is turning its focus to nutrition and peak hours this year. Diners have seen this in the form of increased prices for packaged items such as bottled beverages, novelty ice cream and specialty items from suppliers.

Smaller wraps for sandwiches, closing of Union Central on the weekends, no wait staff in the Bear’s Den, limited options for meal exchanges in the Marketplace and the closing of three venues — Ancho Grill, Maine Street Diner and Chow Maine — in the Marketplace during dinner hours are now in effect as well.

“We’ve honestly made very few changes, with the way the economy is going,” said Director of Dining Operations Kathy Kittridge.

She asserts Black Bear Dining is not cutting its budget or saving money. They are limiting these options to draw residential students to dining halls to prevent overcrowding in the Marketplace, keep meals more nutritional and to correctly price items that were marked incorrectly last year. The demand for hours of operation are low on weekends and diners are sparse in the Marketplace during dinner hours. Currently, only Hilltop Commons and the Marketplace are open on weekends.

“We can really only support business in two buildings [on weekends],” Kittridge said.

Black Bear Dining is self-operated and does not receive funding from the university. The money it makes goes back into dining and when there is extra, it goes to programs on campus.

“Things are tight this year,” said Director of Culinary Services Glenn Taylor.

Some students disagree with the change. Graduate student Tim Berrigan has noticed a change in the burritos he has been purchasing from Ancho Grill for the past four years. Prices have gone up, and the size has gone down — a change that went into effect last year.

“I think they’re an unfortunate ghost of themselves,” Berrigan said.

Now on the occasion when he purchases a burrito — his favorite lunchtime snack on campus — he brings it to the salad bar to construct a “Frankenstein burrito,” adding more vegetables to the meal.

“Now you can’t even get satisfied. Ironically, now I have to bring my own lunch,” Berrigan said.

Black Bear Dining has heard few complaints though. Kittridge and Taylor have only received eight to 10 e-mails about services. The feedback they do hear is mostly from managers of dining halls and the Marketplace.

Taylor noted the apparent decrease in size of portions is a reflection of dining’s nutrition mission.

“We’re really focused on a nutrition program now,” he said.

Previously, some sandwiches in the Marketplace were more than 300 calories. Black Bear Dining has moved from a 12-inch wrap to a 10-inch wrap to cut back on this.

“We’re not trying to decide what people can and cannot eat,” Kittridge said. “There’s the same amount of protein.”

The vegetables are getting slimmed down. The new-size wrap is also harder to roll up and Kittridge and Taylor acknowledged staff may need some more training in making the sandwiches.

Black Bear Dining is trying to make up for some cuts through other options. Students may double swipe their MaineCard for two to-go meals at once, which will allow them to eat a meal and save one for later. To-go meals are not applicable in dining halls.

“We think this is a positive thing,” Kittridge said.

Kittridge also noted they have not raised the price on sandwiches, pizza or the salad bar in the past few years.

As a result of limited dining on weekends, Hilltop Commons will now open at 9 a.m. — an hour earlier — for breakfast. York Commons will also be open on Sundays for brunch and dinner.