At the start of the Spring Semester, Villanova students arrived on campus refreshed and ready to start new classes, work hard and reunite with friends. Naturally, those same students found themselves looking for something to eat for lunch. Belle Air Terrace, located in the Connelly Center, entered the Spring Semester with a refreshed look rather unclear to students at a quick glance. Looking further, students were greeted with two movie-theatre style drink machines. These machines gave the once “outdated” Belle Air Terrace a much more modern feel while doubling the amount of beverage options. This upgrade is just one example of improvements made to Villanova dining over Winter Break, revealing a trend of University improvement.
One of the best aspects of the new drink machines is the range of new beverage options that arrived on campus with it. As opposed to the old drink machine, which included rather baseline sodas and beverages, such as Minute Maid lemonade, root beer and sprite, the new machines include around six variants of popular soda brands such as Coca Cola and Dr. Pepper. In addition, the new machines brought in diet Coke, Coke zero sugar, and Coke caffeine-free as opposed to only having the choice of the original variant.
Belle Air Terrace’s drink machines contribute to the overall dining experience in the Connelly Center. In previous years, students may have joked about the Connelly Center feeling slightly outdated due to its 1980s architectural style and throwback tunes playing on loop over the speakers, but now dining in the Connelly Center has done a complete 180, becoming much more modern and in tune with current dining trends on college campuses across the U.S. Previously, students may have expressed outrage over Villanova Dining feeling too constant without any major recent changes, but changes such as the new drink machines and the new sushi station in Café Nova have eased these tensions.
If one is thinking that the new drink machines are only a minor change used to distract students from a larger issue surrounding dining, they are not alone. Although these feelings are justified, it is important to recognize that although the dining experience at Villanova is not the best in the country, improvements are constantly being made to our campus, even if they aren’t directly related to dining. The new library located beside the Connelly Center and the new parking garage being constructed behind the Health Center are active projects to improve student life and should not go unrecognized in the trend of improvement on campus.
The new drink machines in the Connelly Center represent a positive step forward in enhancing convenience and dining variety for students. By offering a broader selection of beverages and modern technology, these machines are already making a noticeable impact on campus life. While it remains to be seen how they will hold up over time, early reactions suggest that these upgrades are a part of a larger trend of improvements for the student body. As Villanova’s campus continues to evolve, it’s clear that improvements play a significant role in making the student experience more enjoyable and efficient.
