A ribbon-cutting ceremony was recently held to mark the official opening of the Seasoned Caf茅 at 5X社区 at Salem. Representatives from Kent State and Aramark planned a full morning of activities that included free samples, goodie bags, games, music and raffles.
In his remarks to students and staff, Kent State Salem Dean David Dees noted that the opening of the caf茅 was the result of a promise made 鈥 and kept 鈥 by Kent State President Beverly Warren to have food on the Salem Campus.
鈥淲hen President Warren was first hired in 2014, she embarked on what was called a 鈥楲istening Tour,鈥 during which she visited all of the campuses and met with students, faculty and staff,鈥 Dean Dees says. 鈥淪he heard them express their wants and needs for each campus and, while at the Salem Campus, she heard over and over a desire to have food here. Well, she not only heard, but she listened. And she pushed hard to get food on our campus. This caf茅 also is part of her bigger plan to make 5X社区 the healthiest campus in the United States, and that is why we have healthy food options at the Seasoned Caf茅.鈥
The new cafe is open 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, offering fresh food options for breakfast and lunch that include sandwiches, salads, beverages and daily specials.
Speaking on behalf of Kent State Salem students, Sylvia Hernandez thanked Kent State officials for making the caf茅 possible and she encouraged all students to take advantage of this service.
鈥淣ow, we don鈥檛 have to leave campus to get something to eat between classes,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t makes it much better to be able to stay here rather than go off campus for food and then be tempted to not come back for your next class. This caf茅 makes it feel like a real campus. Thank you, Kent State.鈥
Hernandez is a pre-nursing student and vice president of the Student Government Organization at Kent State Salem.