UPDATED: Oct. 2, 2017 at 10:08 p.m.

Students mingled in the front lobby of Syracuse Stage. They were not waiting for a show. They were in line to get something to eat.

Valeria Johnson, a freshman musical theatre major, who already had her food, talked one recent afternoon over a meal of salad, grapes, chips and a slice of chocolate cake.

“I like it a lot,” she said.

This new dining option at the stage has been years in the making.

Open Monday through Friday until 2:15 p.m., the dining service cart has been a welcome addition for drama department students and faculty.

The absence of dining options at Syracuse Stage has been a main student concern for years, said Ralph Zito, who has served as the drama department chair for eight years.

The new dining option is a grab-and-go style cart with both hot and cold meals. Students can use one meal swipe to get $14.25 worth of food or use their SUpercard Food points.

While the service is working toward accepting credit cards, Zito said additional expansions have not been widely discussed, and the service will be closed to the public.

“Drama students have very packed schedules,” with most classes at the stage-drama complex, “so it can be a challenge to get to a dining hall,” Zito said. This is particularly relevant for freshman and sophomores who are required to have a campus meal plan, he said.

Earlier solutions, including a full-sized dining hall or cafe, were unsuccessful due to cost and logistical problems. SU shares the space with Syracuse Stage employees, Zito added, creating another issue.

“There is a lot of coordination with respect to how the space is used,” he said. Any decision had be to judged by how it would affect both parties, Zito said.

VPA Dean Michael Tick; Kati Foley, project director and administrative assistant to the dean; Amir Rahnamay-Azar, senior vice president and chief financial officer; Jamie Cyr, director of auxiliary services and Zito all helped develop the final dining plan for students at the Stage.

Creating the service “was an overall team effort spanning several departments,” Cyr said.

Organizations involved in the project included: Food Services, the Auxiliary Services IT department, SU’s Physical Plant, the university’s maintenance department and ITS, the university’s technology resource center.

Syracuse Stage was also involved, and Zito said he is grateful for the group’s cooperation. The stage put time and energy into helping facilitate the project, even though university members were the main beneficiaries, Zito added.

“It’s important to me that the campus community understands the shared nature of the space,” he said.

There are some problems the new dining option does not address, Zito said. For example, the cart is not open on weekends, but students and faculty still work in the building then.

Zito said although students had food options before — there are restaurants near Syracuse Stage — the new dining is more accessible and efficient.

“It is important me to that students learn how to be respectful advocates for their needs,” he said. “This is an example where persistent, patient and respectful advocacy has paid off.”

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, the dining service cart’s hours were misstated. The cart is open Monday through Friday until 2:15 p.m. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, the length of Ralph Zito’s tenure as chair of the drama department was misstated. Zito has been chair for eight years. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on September 27, 2017 at 11:32 pm

Contact India: irmiragl@syr.edu