As students return for the fall semester of classes they willnotice a number of changes on campus, including everything from newdining options to a merger between parking and Pony Express,appropriately called, “Park N’ Pony.”
According to Mark Rhodes, the director of parking and ID cardservices, the union has been a long time coming.
“We evaluated the two separate offices, and decided that asingle location would be better equipped to serve the studentbody,” Rhodes explained.
That single location is next to the Mane Desk on the main floorof the Hughes-Trigg Student Center.
Another reason for the move was handicapped accessibility, whichwas non-existent in the parking office’s former location onthe second floor of the Patterson Hall Police Department.
“With such a high volume of people using the parkingoffice,” Rhodes said, “we needed it to be open to allvisitors.”
The amalgamation makes auxiliary services on campus much moreconvenient.
“Now, people don’t have to go all over the place toutilize essential services,” Rhodes said.
The parking situation on campus is now much more defined than inpast years, with five different parking permits being issued(Resident, Student, Employee, Law, and Evening Studies).
Rhodes hopes for the changes to better serve the SMU communityfor years to come.
Anyone visiting the Hughes-Trigg Student Center over the summercould not miss the construction occurring on the first and secondfloors. But as the dust begins to settle, students will noticemodifications surrounding the Mane Course and its neighboringdining facilities.
The most obvious of these changes is the addition of a Subway,which joins Chick-Fil-A to form a tandem of mainstream restaurantson the Hilltop.
According to Elvira Jones, a veteran cashier of nine years,explained, the choice to refine the Mane Course was made inresponse to student feedback.
“It’s more convenient and roomy now,” Jonessaid. “During rush periods, people won’t have to waitas long to pay.”
Subway will replace Montague’s Deli and Bene (Pasta andPizzeria) on the first floor of the Student Center. With tworestaurants making up the Mane Course as opposed to three, studentswill experience a much more spacious environment when grabbing aquick bite to eat.
The Mane Course will feature longer hours as well, according toJones, as students can now dine from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondaythrough Saturday.
Those who felt a kinship with Montague’s, however, have noneed to worry, as the Deli will be housed next to the 24-hourcomputer center until November. At that point, the location will betransformed into a Java City, offering everything from sodas tosnacks to smoothies (and, of course, coffee).
One thing that will not change is the methods of paymentavailable, as all dining locations in Hughes-Trigg accept Visa,MasterCard, Flex Dollars, Pony Express and cash.
