New changes have emerged for cafeteria life at Ventura College. Students and staff members visiting the cafeteria this fall will find stricter policies in personal behavior and longer business hours during the school day. Students will also discover a new, quick method of payment for purchasing food and drinks.
Among the new changes welcomed this year is the use of credit card machines. The credit card devices came just prior to the start of summer classes.
Ashlee Stone, a 21-year-old English major at Ventura College, was very surprised to see the machines when she first stepped into the cafeteria this fall.
“I never carry cash with me, so this is perfect,” said Stone. “I hate using the ATM machines because they charge an arm and a leg. This is so much more convenient.”
Convenience is the main reason for this new development, according to Food Service Co-Manager Christine Umholtz. The credit card machines do not charge a transaction fee, a major difference from the ATM machines around campus.
The cafeteria currently has two working credit card machines. Students are attracted to the cafeteria knowing that they no longer have to pay with just cash.
“With two of these machines put to work, we’ve been busier than ever,” said Umholtz.
The cafeteria’s main walls also received a change in decoration with the pinning up of posters stating rules of conduct and courtesy. The signs were placed on the walls after numerous complaints of roughhousing, according to Umholtz.
“The cafeteria is not a playhouse,” she said. “These bulletins simply set the standard for conduct.”
Many of the cafeteria rules ask students to act respectfully toward one another, to speak in a quiet voice, use good table manners, and be orderly.
Other rules are stricter, asking students to leave after a 90 time limit. One rule reads: “The cafeteria is not for ‘hanging out.’ NO LOITERING IS ALLOWED.”
Some students are not pleased with this command. Justin Henry, a 20-year-old criminal justice major from Ventura College, visits the cafeteria multiple times a week and is not fond of the time limit.
“The fact that it’s there makes me feel like I have to leave,” said Henry. “I feel like I’m constantly being watched.”
According to Umholtz, the time limit is nothing to be frightened of. That specific rule will only be enforced when things get chaotic.
“Students who engage in any roughhousing will be asked to leave,” she said.
One of the biggest changes for the cafeteria this fall is the extension of working hours. The cafeteria is now open from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Last semester, a daily block was scheduled from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The food service department is currently deciding whether or not to remain open during those extra hours, according to Umholtz. The cafeteria has only benefited from the new hours.
“Sales have definitely increased,” she said.
