Northern dining hall changing courses

Montana State University-Northern football players Brian Torgerson, left, and Leon Carroll building the frame for a wall in the Student Union Building cafeteria June 29 during the renovation of the whole building.

As if a repaved 10th Street S-curve, campus-wide restoration and a new gymnasium weren't enough to change by the fall, Montana State University-Northern is also in the middle of a complete overhaul of their dining services.

The project includes completely changing the decor and layout of the room as well as the the types of food, the method of preparing them and their price.

And all of this work will be done by the time the students return to campus in late August, as guaranteed by Trish Limbaugh, wife of Chancellor Jim Limbaugh, and one of the dozens of volunteers making it happen.

"If my husband and I have to work all night on the night before, it will be ready, " Trish Limbaugh said.

That might not be necessary, from the number of volunteers who are all pitching in.

As Chancellor Limbaugh spoke of his gratitude for community support, coaches from the athletic department were painting walls and students helped university relations director Jim Potter cut and assemble wood.

Two factors came together to make this transformation possible.

First, Limbaugh said he was able to get a two-year deferral on a $150,000 debt that Northern owes to the Bozeman main campus.

Second, Bozeman donated tons of furniture that they were planning to simply throw away, including more than a dozen booths, piles of tables and hundreds of chairs.

And with these resources, and the support and volunteered labor of Northern staff, students, alumni and fans, the Limbaugh's are hoping to build something special for Northern's students, a place to gather and hang out, to read or watch TV, a central location for day-to-day student life.

"Our students deserve the best we can give them, " Jim Limbaugh said. "These kids don't have to come here. They choose to come here. "

Instead of opening a buffet-style counter full of food for brief meal-time windows, the new dining hall will be open from 7 a. m. to 7 p. m., Monday to Friday, and students will choose from several made-to-order options.

A grill section will make students hamburgers. A mexican grill — with custom-made tacos, quesadillas and burritos — sits next to a Subway-style sandwich station.

One area, a "little convenience store" as a few people described it, will offer students quick pre-made foods to go, like salads and sandwiches.

Bozeman's executive chef and other dining staff have been trekking to Northern frequently to train Northern's staff for the new style. Some Northern staff are training in Bozeman as well.

"Their production manager, Paul Mineau, has been on campus at least six times to provide advice and training for our food service staff and has been invaluable in a redesign of the kitchen preparation areas, " Jim Limbaugh said.

Even with expanded hours and options, the cost of the meal plans have dropped dramatically. The previous cheapest option was around $2,000. Now students can pay as little at $975 per year, $65 per week, which will be placed on a student meal debit card that can be refilled at any point.

Bill Lanier, Northern's assistant dean of students, said students will like the new system.

"I think students are going to be very pleasantly surprised, " Lanier said. "The same people who eat a ton aren't going to like it, but for most people it will be a positive. "

Even if anyone has any problems or suggestions, the Limbaughs and the board responsible for the changes want the new system to be as responsive as possible, in foods offered or hours of operation. They are planning to make several tweaks as they see how the new dining hall performs, to maintain efficiency and adaptability.

"We're trying to set it up to be as flexible as possible, " Jim Limbaugh said.

In fact the plans have changed since construction began, with unexpected challenges creating surprising additions, like the corner that had previously been used for stacking a pile of items with no better place for storage that is now going to be home to "The Dump", a series of receptacles for trash, multiple kinds of recycling and trays, across from a door-side coat rack.

They even want the students to come up with names for the diversity of food stations that will be in place.

All these changes might even make some of the students excited for summer to end.