Western Dining Commons was dominated by an atmosphere of growing chatter from a tucked away section just behind the check-in counter. The cause of the commotion: a newly reopened ice cream bar.
Prior to Monday, April 11, the ice cream bar hadn’t been open since 2020 when the pandemic forced its shutdown.
At 6 p.m., Laura Schonken, a sophomore botany major, was enjoying her sprinkled chocolate vanilla swirl. Schonken said she actually caught wind of the ice cream section’s reopening last week.
“One of my roommates told me they were opening it back up,” Schonken said, “ … then we talked to one of the people who worked there and he said they were working on getting bowls.”
Schonken was excited about the return of ice cream at the dining hall and said it may be a leverage for attracting students.
“Not a lot of other food makes me really excited about the dining hall, but ice cream really makes me excited,” Schonken said, “ ... I feel like a lot of people do not normally eat at Western, and they’re coming just for the ice cream.”
At the counter was Sam Rabe, a senior computer science major, who had started his shift just over an hour before.
“We’ve served at least 500 people,” Rabe said, “... It was a train, it didn’t stop.”
It was 7:15 p.m. when the queue that had been moving like clockwork came to a halt due to a malfunction.
“It’s been crazy busy, and then the ice cream machines both died,” Rabe said, “So now it’s less busy.”
Despite turning away dozens of people in line for this reason, Rabe said some students remained waiting patiently in hopes of the machines being fixed. Among them was Paige Senkiw, a first-year marketing major.
“We’ll stay in line, but I don’t think it'll be much longer,” Senkiw said, “It looks like it’s going through pretty fast.”
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
In less than 15 minutes, both machines were back in order and ice cream was being served again.
From the entrance, some students ignored the bustling crowd and nonchalantly walked past, while others made a sharp turn to the right and tailed the already-long queue.
Will Fahnestock, a first-year mechanical engineering major, and Jackson House, a first-year economics major, made a swift u-turn to join the herd.
“I had something at Western first,” Fahnestock said, “and then at the end, right before we were about to walk out, we decided to stop and try the ice cream.”
House, holding a caramel-syrup-covered chocolate vanilla swirl, said the two almost did not notice the newly reopened section.
“I actually completely forgot it was here,” House said, “We were walking out and we just saw … It’s the first day it opens, we have to try it.”
The ice cream bar was busy throughout the rest of the evening, even after the dining hall closed at 8 p.m.
Read More
Oxford City Council discusses Enjoy Oxford, sustainability, parking fines
By Abud Hamdan | 21 hours agoAt its Nov. 19 meeting, Oxford City Council reviewed proposals for cutting the amount of convention tax funds from 100% to 50% given to “Enjoy Oxford.”
7 ways to support your mental health as the semester draws to a close
By Anna Reier | 23 hours agoFor many students, the weeks between Thanksgiving break and J-Term can be the longest of the semester. Students break out of their academic routine and default back to their lives at home. As students barrel towards the finish line, they are met with final exams, projects and essays. Here are seven ways to prioritize your mental health to end the semester strong.
Styling your dog doesn’t have to be ruff
By Chloe Southard | YesterdayDressing your pup makes them stand out, and sometimes it’s actually beneficial for them. Plus, it’s cute as hell. As long as your dog is comfortable with whatever you dress them in, keeping their wardrobe as fresh as yours is a fun and rewarding experience.