It’s 7 p.m. at the dining hall. No tables are available. Laughter is accompanied by Instagram Reels playing at full volume. The line for the sandwich bar stretches to the back of the building. The ice cream machine is overflowing again and the Minute Maid juice is out of stock.
On Northeastern’s Boston campus, the debate over which dining hall students prefer is constant. The university’s two largest dining halls, Stetson East and International Village, are always swarming with students.
At peak hours, the aroma of taco meat, wood-fired pizza and sizzling stir fry fills the air of Northeastern’s largest dining hall, International Village, or IV. Half a mile across campus, Stetson East presents a quieter and cozier scene, offering consistent sandwich, egg, pasta and salad options. But students say that Stetson East is not keeping up with demand for both culinary variety and modern amenities.
“I think [Stetson East] is just bland,” said Danielle Dvorkin, a second-year business administration major. “I think you got ingredients, you got protein, but you got no love … There’s nothing really sticking out.”
Northeastern has four total dining halls on its Boston campus: Stetson East, IV, Stetson West and the newly-opened Campus Roots at 60 Belvidere St.; the latter two options are less busy and not open all day.
Besides the stations also available at Stetson East, IV also features a sushi bar, tandoor oven and Latin grill.
“IV has many options [from] all across the globe,” said Sargun Kaur, a first-year computer science and business administration combined major. “At [Stetson East], it’s like the same things every day.”
For some students, IV’s appeal goes beyond food options. Its tall, floor-to-ceiling windows, open floor plan and natural light make the dining hall a lively and inviting environment.
“I prefer IV because of the sunlight and the ambiance,” said Aminata Diop, a first-year business administration and public health combined major. “I just like that IV has a more open floor plan. [Stetson East] is like, the ceilings are lower, there’s less natural light. So it makes it more, I don’t know, overwhelming.”
Stetson East underwent a $3 million renovation in 1999, updating the hall from a traditional cafeteria to a livelier meal facility with Irving M. Levine’s $1.3 million donation to the leadership campaign. At 15,000 square feet and located near most first-year residence halls, Stetson East is a popular dining option for the Boston campus’s newest residents.
IV opened in 2009 with a focus on global cuisine and received LEED Gold certification in 2010 for its sustainable design. The dining hall facility spans 20,000 square feet and serves an estimated 2,500 meals a day.
“[Stetson East] is more chill vibes,” said Caroline Reid, a second-year environmental studies major. “Whereas, I feel like IV is just one big room with like a bunch of long tables, and I feel like all the tables are taken up, usually. So it’s a lot more chaotic.”
Jennifer Yu, a first-year political science major, shared an appreciation for Stetson East’s atmosphere.
“I really thought I’d like IV a lot more, but I think now that I’m more acclimated, I tend to like [Stetson East] because of the homey feel,” Yu said. “I think the sandwich bar is a plus, and it’s something that gives me a lot of comfort away from home.”
Students also have suggestions for improving Stetson East’s food, such as adding more rotating specials and cuisines to match IV’s international focus.
“Maybe having specials each day or for each meal, like something from a new cuisine or culture,” said Isabella Zelenchuk, a second-year health science major. “I know they do specialty deli menus sometimes. I wish they did that for the other parts of Stetson [East] as well.”
