WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
Understanding the Reasons Behind and The Student
Sentiments on Reduced Hours of Operation for On-Campus
Dining
July 28, 2017
Empirical report
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
Understanding the Reasons Behind and The Student Sentiments on
Reduced Hours of Operation for On-Campus Dining
July 28, 2017
Sharvani Tummala
Empirical report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The lack of dining options on Wayne States campus has been a longstanding issue for
both commuters and non-commuters alike. However, the problem is further aggravated during
the Spring/Summer semester as most of the on-campus restaurants are not open as per their
regular hours of operation. The primary objectives were to figure out why on-campus
restaurants have shorter hours of operation over the Spring/Summer Semester and how students
feel about these reduced hours. During the week of July 10, an interview was conducted with an
Aramark employee of Wayne State dining services regarding the reasons behind the lower hours.
Student survey were also conducted to around campus.
The interview did not give us much information regarding the reasons behind reduced
hours. Basically, it was understood that the reduced hours were due to a reduction in on-campus
population for the summer. Therefore, facilities of on-campus dining did not need to stay open
for as long as they had in the Fall and Winter Semester. Students surveys showed a variety of
results, including 53% or more than half of the students interviewed felling discontent with the
hours of operations for on-campus during the Spring/Summer semester, stating that they were
poor hours.
Overall, it is inconclusive as to why the hours of operations for on-campus restaurants
and cafeterias are reduced over the Spring/Summer semester at Wayne State University.
Although we understand to some extent that students are dissatisfied with the operational hours,
more research should be conducted regarding the issue at hand. The following actions are
recommended:
Get in touch with the various representatives and employees of Aramark and the
other dining service providers at Wayne State.
Conduct more comprehensive surveys with a larger sample size.
Publish their own report and present it to President Wilson and any other person
who makes decisions.
Section 1
INTRODUCTION
The lack of dining options on Wayne States campus has been a longstanding issue for
both commuters and non-commuters alike. However, the problem is further aggravated during
the Spring/Summer semester as most of the on-campus restaurants are not open as per their
regular hours of operation. For example, the Towers caf which functions as the major campus
dining hall, is open for two-hour time slots for the three meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner,
closing for the night by 7:30 pm. The hours of operation are further shortened during the
weekends, as the cafeteria is only open for a total of four hours. The other dining hall known as
Gold n Greens is closed for the entirety of the spring/summer semester, making it harder for
students who are vegetarian/vegan to obtain their preferred food. Furthermore, the chain
restaurants located in the Wayne State Student center are only functioning for a limited number
of hours during the weekdays and the weekends. As a quick example, Starbucks closes by 5pm
on weekdays and is not open on the weekends. Of the three other chain restaurants in the
Student Center, one is closed for the summer with another closing for the day by 3 pm. Wayne
State University is vital part of Midtown. As a quick example, most of the chain restaurants in
the Student Center of Wayne State close as early as 3pm. Although there are other restaurants
around campus, they are further away from the main campus, making them an unfavorable
option in terms of inconvenience for those who may not have the time or means of
transportation. It is important to note that many of these restaurants also have decreased hours of
operation or are closed as well for the spring/summer semester.
Wayne State is a vital part of Midtown and the greater Detroit area. It is a central hub for
research and community engagement. However, many people outside of the Wayne State
community do not view it as so and it is often undervalued. For this view to change, there must
be something that gives people an incentive to attend Wayne State and to live on campus.
Students who pay hefty sums of money in the form of tuition towards the school in expectation
of a worthwhile experience and degree. It is important that current students feel satisfied with
the facilities provided to them, one of the most important being food establishments. Students
need to know that they have options to eat food that they like and at their convenience. Students
purchasing meals and meals plans at the university also increase the revenue that the school
makes, according to an article on Business Insider stating that many colleges have opted instead
to raise revenue through auxiliary services such as dining halls(Martin, 2017). This
satisfaction will lead to retention of students as well as prospective student attraction. An
increase in enrollment would ensue as a result. Ultimately this will make for a happier student
body and could potentially improve the reputation of the school.
It can be hypothesized that the main reason why there is such a reduction in operational
hours is because there is a lack of funding for Wayne State dining services. Therefore, this study
has two primary objectives that it wishes to accomplish. One of the objectives is to find out why
there is a decrease in operational hours of on-campus dining facilities during the Spring/Summer
Semester at Wayne State. Hannah Konnagan (marketing director) and Jillian Williams
(residential director) were to be interviewed however only one interview could be partially
conducted. These interviews were to be conducted in order to figure out the exact logistics and
reasons behind the issues. The other objective is to understand how current students feel about
the issues and how it affects them. Students surveys were also conducted in order to understand
student sentiments towards on-campus dining hours.
The results were inconclusive as to the true reason(s) behind the decreased operational
hours for on-campus dining options. However, students did express their dissatisfaction with the
current state of reduced dining hours. More research should be conducted in order to draw any
final conclusions.
Section 2
METHOD
This study required that we survey a multitude of people. For surveying students, a
questionnaire was created on Google forms. Surveys were completed in person, on a laptop, to
ensure quick collection of data. Along with the surveys, in-person interviews were conducted as
well. Initially, two people were supposed to be interviewed. However, after multiple attempts to
get in touch with both potential interviewees, Hannah Konnagan, an Aramark marketing
manager for Wayne State dining services was the only one we heard back from. Therefore, this
study only contains one interview. However, further research was conducted online in an
attempt to fill in any gaps. This section describes the equipment used for conducting the
research, the region(s) covered during data collection, and how the data was analyzed.
Equipment
The Google survey was made using the Google forms application and was made with the use
of a Dell Surface. Surveys were also conducted on the same Dell Surface. The interview was
recorded using pen and paper and then typed up (see Appendix A). Data was collected in the
Google forms depository and were analyzed vis the creation of bar graphs and pie charts on
Microsoft Excel.
Region Covered
To ensure that a variety of students completed the survey, various regions around Wayne
States campus were visited. Surveys were given at seven different locations around the main
campus area:
Student Center
David Adamany Undergraduate Library
State Hall
Towers Cafe
General Lectures
Keast Commons
Mort Harris Recreation and Fitness Center
Figure 1
The interview was conducted at the Student Center. The entire region covered shown as the area
within oval shown in Figure 1.
Section 3
RESULTS
The entire study was conducted in 4 hours, the student surveying taking around 3 hours and 30
minutes with the remaining 30 minutes dedicated to conducting the interview. A total of 30
students completed the survey. This section of the report details the data obtained from the
surveys conducted.
When asked about their sentiments regarding the current hours of operation:
Poor hours I wish they were longer: 16 students
Mediocre hours theyre ok I guess: 7 students
Excellent hours I wouldnt change a thing: 2 students
I dont know: 5 students
When asked about their overall satisfaction for their experience at Wayne State on a scale of
1(very) to 5(not at all):
1(very): 10 students
2: 4 students
3: 11 students
4: 5 students
5(not at all): 0 students
When asked if their rating change if Wayne State was to expand the hours of operation for
on-campus restaurants and cafeterias:
Yes - it would increase: 15 students
Yes - it would decrease: 5 students
No - it would stay the same: 10 students
The other questions asked were focused on dining preference and frequency of eating on-
campus.
When asked about preference of restaurant in the Student Center and which they wish were
open at their convenience:
Taco Bell: 5 students
Wing Stop: 7 students
Panda Express: 7 students
Starbucks: 9 students
Bene's Pizza/Late Night Grill: 2 students
When asked if they lived on-campus or commuted:
I live on campus: 12 students
I commute: 18 students
When on-campus residents were asked about frequency of on-campus dining events at either
restaurants or the cafeteria:
Never: 4 students
Only when necessary or on occasion: 9 students
Always (i.e. at least once a day): 17 students
When commuters were asked about frequency of on-campus dining events at either
restaurants or the cafeteria:
Never: 6 students
Only when necessary or on occasion (i.e. if I forgot to bring some food with me): 12 students
Always (i.e. at least once for every time I'm on campus): 12 students
When both commuter and on-campus students were asked about their frequency of dining
on-campus during the Spring/Summer semester in comparison to the Fall and Winter
semesters:
More frequently than the Fall and Winter Semesters: 9 students
As frequently as the Fall and Winter Semesters: 7 students
Less Frequently than the Fall and Winter Semesters: 14 students
A variety of reasons were given for questions 7 and 10 which were the free response questions.
The answers to the interview questions can be viewed in Appendix B and will also be discussed
in further detail at in the discussion section.
Student sentiments towards spring/summer on
campus dining hours
17%
7%
53%
23%
Poor hours Mediocre hours Excellent hours I don't know
Figure 2
Student satisfaction with overall Wayne State
experience
17% 0%
33%
37%
13%
1(very satisfied) 2 3 4 5(not at all satisfied)
Figure 3
Section 4
DISCUSSION
The interview which was conducted had a total of five questions and was completed by
Hannah Konnagan, the marketing manager for Wayne State dining services. However, due to
the compromising nature of the questions, only 1 could be answered(partially). The other four
questions would need prior approval from the corporate office, which would have taken longer to
obtain than the time allotted for the completion of this project. The six other questions were
related to budget allocations and such. All the interview questions can be seen in Appendix B.
In regards to the one questions that could be answered, Ms. Konnagan said that one of the
reasons for the reductions in operational hours was due to fact that Wayne State is primarily a
commuter campus. She said, that as a commuter campus a huge amount of the students regularly
living on campus and dining at the eateries would move out for the summer, therefore warranting
decreased hours for the on-campus cafeterias and restaurants. However no direct answer was
given as to what the main reason was, as to whether it was a matter of a lack of revenue or labor.
It can also be assumed that most of students who stay on main campus are the ones who purchase
meal plan and not the commuter students as they may have other options as well as a definite
means of transportation to go elsewhere to eat. A US World & News Report article states that 88
percent of students lived off campus (or were essentially commuter students) while it topped the
list of schools where the most students had cars on campus for the 2015-2016 school year at 98
percent(Friedman, 2016). Therefore, it would make sense as to why dining hours could be cut
as in an ideal situation, considering that all people with cars did not buy a meal plan or eat on
campus at all, only 2 percent of the current student population would really require for the
operational hours to be longer and more extensive. Overall, the interview was not successful in
figuring out why the hours of operation for on-campus restaurants and cafeterias were reduced.
With some more time, one could possibly figure out all the answers to the interview questions.
The survey questions however met with more success in figuring out the second objective
of understanding student sentiments towards the reduction in the operational hours. As can be
seen in Figure 2, 53% or more than half of the students interviewed felt discontented with the
hours of operations for on-campus during the Spring/Summer semester, stating that they were
poor hours. This is a pretty significant number especially in comparison to the percentages of
people who said mediocre hours and excellent hours, 23 percent and 7 percent respectively.
Figure 3 looks at how satisfied students are in regards to their overall Wayne State experience.
Most people chose the response of 3 which could roughly translate over to moderately
satisfied. When asked if their level of satisfaction could change if Wayne State expanded their
operational hours, 50 percent of the survey participants answered as yes- it would increase.
One could conclude that Wayne State students are the happiest and most satisfied with their
college experience and that expanding the operational hours could possibly better their
experience. However, it should be noted that various other aspects of the college could enhance
their experience equally as well or could be the true cause of their satisfaction. Essentially that
the convenience in dining is not the essential factor in making their experience better. One
could also consider other facilities such as the gym and activities that are going on around
campus.
Another set of questions that should be considered are those of the frequency of dining
events. Although a lot of students said that theyd eat less frequently in the summer than in the
Fall and Winter semesters, there were a variety of reasons provided for that. So we cant only
assume that they are eating less frequently because the hours of operations arent convenient for
them to eat at the restaurants, though that was a frequent response to the free response questions.
However, may things could affect the frequency such as a change in eating habits, a diet, or
money restrictions not present prior to the Spring/Summer semester.
It is also important to note that in this survey there were more commuter participants than
non-commuter participants. The results would have been more accurate if there was an equal
amount from each group, as it would eliminate any bias.
Section 5
CONCLUSION
This study supports the following conclusions:
It is inconclusive as to why the hours of operations for on-campus restaurants and
cafeterias are reduced over the Spring/Summer semester at Wayne State University.
The students at Wayne State do feel a sense of dissatisfaction over the operational hours
of on-campus restaurants and cafeterias.
Although the study conducted did give us some insight into student sentiments over
campus dining hours, more studies would need to be conducted in order to draw any
proper and definitive conclusions regarding the issue.
Section 6
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on this study, it is imperative that more research is conducted in order to determine
the true reason(s) behind the reduction of operational hours. The students and administration of
Wayne state should be doing the following things:
1. Get in touch with the various representatives and employees of Aramark and the
other dining service providers at Wayne State to truly understand why this issue is
present. One may use the interview presented in Appendix B as questions to ask to the
appropriate people or they may use their own. It is important that they start at least 2
months in advance to get the necessary approval needed for the information they wish to
obtain.
2. Conduct more comprehensive surveys with a larger sample size. This will ensure that
is it truly indicative of the real Wayne State population and will reduce any unintended
bias.
3. Publish their own report and present it to President Wilson and any other person
who makes decisions on changes to facilities in campus. This will allow for some real
changes to occur as it will show the decisions makers the true feelings or current students.
Section 7
REFERENCES
[Link]
[Link]
11/universities-where-the-most-students-bring-cars-to-campus
[Link]
Appendix A
Appendix B
Questions:
1) What is the budget allocated for running the Towers Caf? How much of that budget is spent
on the Spring/summer functioning of it?**
2) What is the budget allocated for the operation of the chain restaurants in the Student Center?
How much of that is spent for the Spring/Summer functioning of it?**
3) Is there a cap on how many students can be hired over the Spring/Summer and how many hours
they can work for?**
4) Why are the Spring/Summer hours minimized in comparison to what they are during the Fall
and Winter Semesters? If it due to a lack of revenue or lack of
labor, etc what factors contribute to this severe reduction of operational hours?
Essentially there is a reduction in campus population over the summer, so we dont feel the
need to keep facilities open for as long.
5) Are there any strives being made to increase the operational hours over the Spring/Summer
semester for the next year?