{"id":162742,"date":"2024-05-15T10:06:38","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T14:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=162742"},"modified":"2025-03-03T14:43:16","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T19:43:16","slug":"slideshow-lunch-supper-and-such-a-genuine-bond-within-us-in-commons-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2024\/05\/15\/slideshow-lunch-supper-and-such-a-genuine-bond-within-us-in-commons-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Slideshow: Lunch, supper, and ‘such a genuine bond within us’ in Commons, Part II"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to part two of our day in the life of Commons \u2014 Tuesday, March 12, 2024 \u2014 a day when we followed all the goings in the college’s beloved dining hall, from very early in the morning through to lunch, supper, and closing time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In part one, we started at 4 a.m. with the arrival of the Bates baker<\/a>, then it was on to breakfast. Here is part two, from lunch to a long day’s journey into night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We photographed and interviewed both the staff who create an awesome dining experience for students, and the students who, in unison, speak their appreciation for creating such a happy place on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All along, the staff of Bates Dining Services kept the campus Bobcats well-fed and ready for their next adventures, whether work or play. By day’s end, the work will span 17 hours, from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11:22 a.m.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In a daily ritual, members of the rowing teams gather for a meal in their traditional spot, a corner facing Alumni Walk. Clockwise from top left: Maddie Kemp \u201825 (blue sweater), Finian Guinney \u201827, Oli Seline \u201824, Megan O\u2019Donnell \u201827, Emily Everett \u201824, Wiley Anderson \u201826, and Olivia Szachta \u201825.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Phyllis Graber Jensen \/ Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Anderson’s laptop is open to mathematical matrices, and in a couple hours the team would decamp to the Traquina Boathouse to put out their docks for the season \u2014 all suggesting the potential for wide-ranging lunchtime conversations among these seven friends and teammates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We love the corner of Commons,” says Seline. “We\u2019re a large team, so it can be hard to get to know everyone on a more personal level, but Commons is the perfect place for great conversation. Whether 30 minutes \u2014 or sometime a few hours \u2014 it\u2019s one of my favorite spaces on campus.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11:26 a.m.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Upstairs in Commons, a variety of lunch meetings are already in full gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Penobscot Room, a half dozen faculty and staff who are involved in Short Term courses that travel abroad, including Associate Professor of Religious Studies Alison Melnick, seen here, are getting advice from the staff of the Center for Global Education and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Phyllis Graber Jensen \/ Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At left is Director of Campus Safety Paul Menice. He chimes in with a promise to the faculty members that he is just a call away. \u201cThere are 10 to 12 deans on call in a rotation,\u201d Menice said. \u201cOur resources go well beyond campus and Lewiston. When in doubt, call us, and we can get the resources you need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11:29 a.m.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Plate
Theophil Syslo \/ Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This student’s lunch creation includes falafel, braised red cabbage, cucumber, tomato, tahini sauce, and spicy potato wedges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11:35 a.m.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Unless you\u2019re an alum of the last decade or so, the term \u201ctabling\u201d sounds like something out of Robert\u2019s Rules of Order<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in Commons, \u201ctabling\u201d is how students raise awareness of events and programs by setting up tables just inside the front door and trying to capture the attention of students streaming in for a meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here, Owen Fox-Whelpton ’25 (seated left) of Washington, D.C., and Lauren Farrell ’24 (seated right) of Middletown, Conn., staff a table promoting Sex Week. They’re speaking to Jeremy Schrieber ’24 of Denver, Colo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About a half-hour later, they turned the table over to Emma Erkkila \u201826 of Helsinki, Finland, and Julia Oliver \u201825 of Montpelier, Vt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHappy Sex Week!\u201d the pair calls out to friends coming into the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sex Week is sponsored by Well-Being at Bates, a program that gives students information and resources about all dimensions of their well-being. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t see how sex wouldn\u2019t be part of our well-being,\u201d says Oliver. On this day, their table this day has pamphlets, stickers (\u201cConsent Is Sexy!\u201d), and condoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love to call out people I know, but also just be really outgoing towards everyone about whatever we’re tabling about,\u201d says Oliver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s fun to see how they’ll respond to you. Some people have headphones on and keep going. But a lot of people will say, \u2018Happy Sex Week to you, too!\u2019 Which is fun. You’re like, \u2018Woo-hoo!’\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

11:49 a.m.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Phyllis Graber Jensen \/ Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The youngest diner at lunchtime is asleep right now. That\u2019s 16-month-old Sunny Sue, the daughter of Jon-Michael Foley (right), a member of the Facilities Services grounds crew, and his wife, Rachel Nutting (left). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachel comes to campus once a week from her gym, CrossFit 196, where she’s the owner and head coach, to have lunch with her husband and daughter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSunny Sue comes from a long line of double first names,\u201d quips Jon-Michael.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today he\u2019s eating Thai grilled chicken, and spaghetti from the pasta bar, plus some fruit salad. \u201cFruit, every time,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11:53 p.m.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Opened in 2008, Commons put much of the food prep \u2014 and the preparers \u2014 into full view of appreciative diners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commons \u201cservery\u201d clusters a variety of stations, or “bars,” into a critical mass of temptation. Rather than a strict flow from check-in to serving line to chair, students enter, scope out the scene \u2014 who\u2019s where, what\u2019s to eat \u2014 then circulate through the marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Phyllis Graber Jensen \/ Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The heart of the servery is the giant brick-and-copper oven, ringed by a counter offering the most popular eats: pizza, pasta, soup, salad, and deli. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a partial accounting of what was offered at the various bars on March 12 for lunch:<\/p>\n\n\n\n