Students enjoy spacious new dining hall, which offers lots of natural light. In the foreground, a student ascends the dining hall stairs holding a plate of food and wearing a mask. In the background, students dine outside, as seen through the window.
The Dining Center, part of the larger Dining and Community Commons project, opened in the fall.

Digging In

The recently opened Dining Center brings a reimagined eating experience grounded in Swarthmore’s values of sustainability, community, and inclusivity.
by Roy Greim ’14

photos by Laurence Kesterson

The Dining Center, part of the larger Dining and Community Commons project, opened in the fall.
letter P
rior to the opening of Sharples Dining Hall in 1964, Swarthmore College President Courtney Smith described dining on campus as a “struggle for survival.” Growing enrollment and cramped quarters necessitated the construction of a new building and thus, Sharples was born.

Over 50 years later, Smith’s observation remained apt: long lines snaking out of the servery into the foyer, tight corners that felt perilous to navigate during peak traffic, limited hours for evening meals, and a lack of natural light all made for a less-than-ideal dining experience.

It was clear that Sharples, originally designed to accommodate around 900 students, could no longer meet the needs of the campus community of more than 1,600 students. Thus, the Dining Center was born.

As part of the larger Dining and Community Commons (DCC) project, the Dining Center brings to campus a reimagined dining experience grounded in Swarthmore’s longstanding values of sustainability, community, and inclusivity.

Eating Green

The College’s commitment to sustainability is evident from top to bottom, quite literally: More than 800 solar panels covering the entire roof will meet roughly 28% of the building’s eventual power needs. The basement will eventually house the geoexchange plant that is central to the College’s ambitious energy plan, To Zero By Thirty-Five.

“Our pledge of carbon neutrality was a priority that informed the design from the beginning,” says Associate Vice President for Sustainable Facilities Operation and Capital Planning Andy Feick. “Every decision was made through a sustainability lens, from using sustainably harvested mass timber instead of steel for the building’s structure to eliminating trays in the dining operation. With this building, Swarthmore College aims to set a new standard for sustainable dining.”

“Every decision was made through a sustainability lens, from using sustainably harvested mass timber instead of steel for the building’s structure to eliminating trays in the dining operation.”
—Andy Feick, associate vice president for sustainable facilities operation and capital planning
To this end, the College is taking part in the Living Building Challenge (LBC), one of the most rigorous standards for sustainable building. To receive certification, a project must meet benchmarks in at least three out of seven categories (visualized as “petals”), such as energy, health, and equity.

“Swarthmore is very fortunate to be able to do these projects, but also to be able to serve as an example,” says Swarthmore’s Senior Project Manager Susan Smythe. “Not every institution can afford to do this, and I think it’s really important to show that even a smaller project could be possible.”

Other sustainable features include an all-electric kitchen, long-lasting terrazzo floors, stormwater management and recapture, and a trayless policy that is estimated to save approximately 22,000 gallons of water per year.

Additionally, Smythe notes that project leaders took great care to avoid items on the LBC “red list,” which contain materials that are known carcinogens or the production of which is hazardous to the health of the environment.

A Seat at the Table

The building’s design arose from a thoughtful, deliberate, and most of all collaborative process that involved over 500 in-person interviews with students. Additionally, 575 faculty, staff, and students responded to a survey to share their experiences of dining and socializing at Swarthmore. As the design progressed, members of the College community were kept in the know through meetings and information sessions.
Students chat and dine outdoors.
“Swarthmore is very fortunate to be able to do these projects, but also to be able to serve as an example,” says Senior Project Manager Susan Smythe. The College’s commitment to sustainability includes over 800 solar panels which will meet roughly 28% of the building’s eventual power needs. A planned geoexchange plant is central to Swarthmore’s energy plan, To Zero By Thirty-Five.

Access Points

The Dining Center is fully accessible, from the furniture to the station counters to the gender-neutral, single-user restrooms on the first floor. Additionally, two elevators ensures that one is always available for those who need it.
A student stops to chat with one of the Dining Services staff members at a serving station.
Alum Roy Greim '14 smiles and poses with utensils in hand, ready to enjoy salad, pizza, fruit, and fries.

Comfort Food

by Roy Greim ’14
After doing some back-of-the-napkin math, I concluded that I ate nearly 2,000 meals in Sharples.

It’s a lot, though I’m sure many Swatties have had more.

Though I am also the proud owner of 50 decommissioned Sharples trays I won in an auction, I don’t think I can provide the final word on the storied institution that is our beloved Gothic ski lodge of a dining hall; rather, I hope that my reflection, much like Sharples, has something for everyone.

I have always been fascinated by food, which led me to Professor Allison Dorsey’s first-year seminar, History of Food in America. Among other things, I came away with a deeper appreciation for how the social aspect of eating is universally important.

At its most basic, food is a requirement for survival, but of course, it’s so much more: It is a foundational part of how we build relationships and community. Many of my favorite memories from Swarthmore revolve around eating, and Sharples is central in almost all of them (late-night student specials from Renato’s notwithstanding). I remember when Chris Magnano ’14, my sophomore roommate, baked focaccia for my birthday and I brought the leftovers to Sharples. I will never forget how thrilled my friends were to receive an unexpected gift of delicious bread and I’m reminded of it these days whenever I make a batch of bagels to share.

I remember heading to Sharples after frisbee practice on a particularly gorgeous day. We sat outside in a giant circle with the women’s team, the Warmothers, and talked or threw a disc until it got dark, hanging around because we didn’t want to leave each other’s company and return to the demands of a Swarthmore education.

Students enjoy dinner under chandeliers.
“At its most basic, food is a requirement for survival, but of course, it’s so much more: It is a foundational part of how we build relationships and community,” says Roy Greim ’14, associate director for web communications at Swarthmore and a stalwart fan of both the Dining Center and Sharples (above).
I remember when Taco Bar and Sundae Bar serendipitously coincided and I had the bright idea to combine them into a makeshift Choco Taco. It tasted terrible and I think it made Matt Elkins ’14 (temporarily) reconsider our friendship.

Instead of regaling you with dozens of other hyper-specific Sharples recollections, I leave you with this: Sharples may be central to many of my fondest memories, but it is, in the end, only a building. What made my time there special was the people: my friends, teammates, classmates, and most of all the dining staff, who worked tirelessly to nourish and support students going through intellectual and social transformations we weren’t always ready for.

These things surely will continue in the new Dining Center and I hope it fosters memories like mine for generations of students to come. Nothing is ever truly gone if we choose to remember it. Incredibly, that lot of 50 trays included the only one I ever wrote on. It’s faded, but you can see the outline of the Sierpiński triangle with “#YOLO” scrawled in the middle. It’s an oddly poignant reminder that Sharples no longer serves as a dining hall, but our memories of it will live forever.

The result is a welcoming space flooded with natural light that feels much more open than its predecessor, both in its layout and its possibilities: Visitors can choose from two-, four-, six-, or eight-seat tables on both floors as well as outdoor seating on the lower level. The configuration of the nine different serving stations is a marked departure from the Sharples servery and brings diners and Swarthmore Dining staff, no longer separated by walls, closer together.

“For many of us, the Sharples kitchen felt like being in a cave,” says Swarthmore Dining Director Linda McDougall. “It’s really refreshing to actually see what’s going on outside and for students to see and have a better appreciation of how hard people work here, and how passionate they are about what they’re doing.”

“For many of us, the Sharples kitchen felt like being in a cave. … It’s really refreshing to actually see what’s going on outside.”
—Linda McDougall, Swarthmore dining director
“The new setup really highlights the food and the staff, providing a way for all of them to interact with our students in ways they could not before,” says Associate Vice President for Campus Services Anthony Coschignano. “For example, the Fired Up station, which is centrally located in the hearth, allows students to sit at the bar and talk to our staff while they make pizzas.”

In addition to Fired Up, the stations are Field of Greens, a make-your-own salad bar; Daily Kneads, which serves desserts, baked goods, and ice cream; World of Flavor, highlighting global cuisines such as Italian, Indian, and Caribbean; The Classics, for homestyle “meat and potato” offerings; Verdant & Vegan, which has fresh, flavorful, meat-free and dairy-free options; Spice of Life, for Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines; Grillin’ Out, offering grilled sandwiches, fries, and more; and The Free Zone, a space free of all of the top nine food allergens, including sesame.

“It’s really nice to have a new space with so many options, especially from around the world,” says Daniela Padron Castillo ’24. “I’m hoping it will offer food from Mexican culture because that’s what I’ve been missing.”

“The new setup really highlights the food and the staff, providing a way for all of them to interact with our students in ways they could not before.”
—Anthony Coschignano, associate vice president for campus services
“I’m really excited about having longer dining hours and fresh, more balanced options,” adds Hannah Humphreys ’24, a member of the volleyball team. “I would go to Sharples after practice when the hours were limited, and I’d grab a grilled cheese and some french fries. It’s great for one day, but when it becomes a habit, it’s difficult to achieve the healthy balance I need as a student-athlete.”

“Balance” also feels fitting to describe the larger DCC project because of the way it combines the old and the new: The interior of Sharples will be renovated and live on as a central hub for student activity with flexible spaces for meeting, socializing, and community-building. The project, which is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2023, has the potential to redefine the College’s social experience in the same way the Dining Center has.

“I think the DCC is going to facilitate club and organization activities, class functions, and other social events that Swarthmore often lacks,” says Humphreys. “This will be a great opportunity to not only engage with the community that already exists, but also make it even larger by welcoming everyone in.”

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