With nearly 120 years of combined experience in Penland Dining Hall, Elaine Battle, Linda Benson and Donna Majors have served thousands — maybe even millions — of meals to the Baylor community. But the three are known for far more than flipping omelets or making pizzas. Their careers are marked by countless relationships and acts of service that go beyond the women’s job descriptions.
Browsing: Penland Dining Hall
As a freshman, I recall planning my weekends around dining hall hours, which, for an unlimited meal plan, seems rather limiting. Two years and one new food supplier later, Penland Hall is still the only spot that stays open past 9 p.m., and it happens only four nights a week. In that time, Baylor also closed Brooks Great Hall without meaningfully changing other facilities’ hours.
On Feb. 3, Penland Dining Hall received an 80 on a health inspection. While this doesn’t qualify for failure, it’s a significant decline from its previous low of 98.
Shobi Ahmed, the manager of the Exxon station where the Subway was housed, said the restaurant closed Feb. 1 after the lease was not renewed. The reason for Subway’s closure, he said, was slowing business caused by changing landscapes around campus dining. While the company Ahmed works for has managed the property for only about a year, Ahmed said he was told the Subway was busier in the past when students could use their IDs to pay for food.
Students who ventured to Penland Dining Hall on Thursday afternoon were greeted with red lanterns and red envelopes filled with spices in celebration of the upcoming Lunar New Year.
With their plates full of turkey, steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes and gravy in front of them, groups of friends shared what means the most to them in their lives.
Three out-of-state freshmen walked into North Russell Hall one fateful August day, and started a friendship over a card game of “Exploding Kittens” that would later spark a campus-wide sensation in the form of a TikTok account under the name “NoRo Food Reviews.”
Penland Dining Hall held its annual Lunar New Year celebration on Tuesday, one day ahead of the holiday. Students were given the opportunity to have a traditional red envelope embroidered by local artist, Jamie Wong Baesa, watch dance performances from the Baylor Lion Dance Team and Indonesian Culture Center, and try some of Food Network celebrity Chef Jet Tila’s cooking.
“They swarm down the alley right past the dining hall, and if you ever pass by there, you will see at least one person screaming and running away,” Peschel said.
It’s hard to imagine 2023 without long denim skirts and the resurgence of Adidas sneakers. These trends shaped our social media feeds and bank accounts, but they also affected our life at Baylor. With 2024 being barely a month in, here are the ins and outs for Baylor.
“If we’re able to continue to see the same amount of success that we’ve already seen with this composting in the residence hall dining halls … there is an option to expand our footprint on campus with Moonshot,” Getterman said.
Sytsma said over 45,000 meal swipes are used each week, and dining services is always looking for ways to improve per the students’ feedback.
