UMass Dartmouth dining renovation focuses on community

Sept. 17—During the summer, the once “drab and dreary” cafeteria at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, which served the school’s commuter students, had a $2.2 million overhaul and is now a bright gathering place for the whole campus community, said Jeff Augustine, director of campus services.

At UMass Dartmouth, about 50% of the student population lives in residential housing and 50% commute to campus, Augustine said. Historically, the two populations rarely socialized. With the newly renovated food court, that’s changing. The facility’s seating schemes have been redesigned to give students a more comfortable place to meet and socialize. The renovation comes after it was announced in spring of 2011 that Chartwells would be managing the university's foodservice.