BENITEZ: Rutgers never should have closed Brower Commons
Column: Hear Me Out
As one of Brower Commons' biggest critics and a proud resident of the College Avenue campus, there was no better news for me to hear than the infamous dining hall being replaced. Yet, my happiness could not have been more misplaced. The Atrium, the campus' new dining center, is a disappointment.
Brower Commons, the former dining hall on the College Avenue campus, closed to the public after the Spring 2023 semester, giving space to a new retail-based student dining space. At first, the news sounded great. After all, almost no one liked Brower Commons.
The food options were scarce, the actual food was subpar and the place felt like a re-imagined prison. On top of this, everyone knows at least someone who got food poisoning from there.
When the Atrium opened in late August in the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus, it felt like the campus was finally getting a quality dining hall option. No more going to Livingston, Busch, Cook, or Douglass campuses for a decent dinner.
The concept behind the Atrium is ideal. It works like an expanded retail operation versus the open-all-you-can-eat service we are used to. It features Italian, Mediterranean, Asian, Tex-Mex and American cuisine, which you can order via kiosks.
Moreover, it also works like a small shop, with options for pre-packaged food, bowls, sandwiches, chips, candy and more. It is almost like an expanded Cafe West, with the addition of tables designated for students to eat.
Besides that, the Atrium features several Coca-Cola fountain machines, and it accepts meal swipes, credit and debit cards and RU Express, just like Brower Commons used to.
It is hard to think that the Atrium was a bad idea. But it was.
The College Avenue campus is the busiest campus in Rutgers—New Brunswick, with 16 residence halls, several academic buildings and the closest proximity to downtown New Brunswick.
Additionally, the College Avenue campus hosts most of the introductory classes students need to complete their core requirements for an undergraduate degree. That means that almost every Rutgers student has passed through it, has had classes there or has lived there, which is not the case for all New Brunswick campuses.
All of this is to say closing Brower Commons was not a good idea. For the number of students who eat using the absurd amount of meal swipes that Rutgers requires first-year students to purchase, the Atrium does not seem to be enough.
To start, it does not have enough meal options. Yes, there are five stations to choose from besides the pre-packaged food, but some stations only have as few as three options. After just one week, it already seems repetitive — either pizza, tacos, burgers or a (very big) bowl of rice with some type of protein.
The portions are not the problem in this case of a retail-based service. The problem is that you are bound to one specific portion and scarce options without the option to mix and match. Not to mention how unhealthy all of the options are. For the students who are supposed to eat there every day, I cannot see how they would not get tired of it by the second month of school.
Second, there are no places to sit. This was never a problem at Brower Commons — it nearly looked empty most of the time. But regardless, you always had options: vegetables, fruits, different food stations, several places to sit and even dining hall events.
And we must not forget the importance Brower Commons held in the Rutgers community. Trinidad Alfonsina sophomore from the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in economics, puts it perfectly. "I wasn't a huge fan of Brower, but sometimes I do miss scooping up a couple of bowls of mac and cheese or making my own stir fry or pasta," she said. "Brower Hour was unforgettable, and the occasional theme events and ice cream nights were a hit. I think Brower was a highlight of Rutgers' school spirit."
Like her, I am sure many students can find something they will miss about the historic dining hall.
Opening the Atrium was not a bad idea, but closing Brower Commons was. If the school had decided to open a much-needed dining option for students, it should have done so without closing the College Avenue campus' only dining hall.
I never thought I would say this: I kind of miss Brower Commons.
Marina Benitez is a School of Arts and Sciences senior majoring in journalism and media studies and minoring in gender and media. Her column, "Hear me out," runs on alternate Mondays.
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