Without a doubt COVID-19 has shaken up life on campus. Students can no longer be seen at all hours of the day going to and from classes, and most of the residence halls are quiet. Even though most students have abandoned campus that doesn’t mean that campus has abandoned students. Most operations on campus have found ways to support students during these uncertain times, from their mental and emotional needs with the Counseling and Psychological Services offering online appointments, to students’ physical needs of food with the Husky Food Pantry and Garvey.
Even though Garvey has changed how they run daily operations, they are still giving students access to food every day. Even before COVID-19, I know that the question of “What is Garvey serving today” circulated around students on a daily basis. While those with unlimited meal plans can easily swipe in to find out, those without an unlimited meal plan don’t have the luxury of “wasting” a swipe just to find out if Garvey is serving anything they want. That is where the Dine on Campus App comes in handy.
The Dine on Campus App is a lifesaver for all students on campus. It not only has Garvey’s meals listed, but it also lists the hours of all campus eating locations. Many times, the Dine on Campus app can save a student the trouble of running to Garvey (or another location) just to find out that it isn’t open. However, it has plenty of other features than just having Garvey’s menu and campus dining hours of operation. The app allows you to submit feedback about the dining location, lists any special deals, and will even tell you what events are happening.
While Garvey has limited options due to COVID-19, the Dine on Campus App allows students to decide if they want the meal in Garvey without having to leave their room. Before COVID-19, usually students could find something they liked for lunch due to Garvey’s many options, but since Garvey is now limited to only one or two options it’s not always likely that students will love their choices.
Setting Up the App
The Dine on Campus App is available on both Apple and Android. Just search “dine on campus” in the app store. The app has a black background with a white “d” and leaf growing out of the “d” as seen in the picture. After installing it you’ll be asked to input your schools name. Unfortunately my phone wouldn’t let me take a screenshot of the welcome page, but its self explanatory.
Dine On Campus App
Once the school name is put in a page with all the dining locations at that school will show up. It is on this page that you can easily see what locations are currently open and closed.
Main Page
Location Features
After choosing a dining location (such as Garvey Commons) a page pops up that shows what Garvey is serving for breakfast. The meal can be changed on the top by pressing the middle button that looks like a bell. Then the by scrolling through the user can see what food is being served at each station. By clicking the three dots in the upper right hand corner the user can also find the hours for that dining location.
Notable App Features
While I have only used the app to see what Garvey is serving and if a certain location on campus is open, there are other notable app features for users to know about. On the bottom there are tabs labeled feedback, specials, events, and more. The feedback tab allows users to pick a dining location and submit feedback about the location right from the app. The specials tab shows what special deals there are mostly for the Market located in Atwood. The events tab lists what events are happening at different locations such as the Chef battles that happen in Garvey every month.
Then there is the more tab, which brings the user to a sidebar that gives them the option to see a map, staff listing, or find another school. For people new to St. Clouds campus the map feature is helpful for finding the different dining locations. As a fourth year student I have found that the staff section of the app was a unique feature. It allows the user the option to see a picture and name of the staff members as well as offering the option to call or email that staff member. What a great tool to help users get in contact with staff members!
COVID-19 has changed up campus, but thanks to the dine on campus app students can still be in the loop on what Garvey is serving. With hope Garvey, and this app, will be back to operating normally.