To make dining hall eating a little more fun, the Department of Residence holds “fun dining hall days” to spice up the regular meal schedule.

“We try to have a special event at least once a month to help break up the monotony of food service,” said Jackie Steffens, assistant manager of food service.

Past fun dining hall days have included special Homecoming, Halloween, Oriental and Thanksgiving meals.

“I think students like the more traditional ones. I think they kind of look forward to them,” said Karen Larson, area coordinator and manager for the Towers Residence Halls.

The special events for food service usually have different menus and uses festive decorations, she said.

“We try to use different recipes, and if students like them, we will try to incorporate them into the menu,” Larson said.

Angela Mahaney, food service employee and freshman in journalism and mass communication, said many students appreciate the special meals.

“I think it is fun to decorate, and [it] gives a fun atmosphere to food service,” she said. “I think people like to look at the decorations.”

Kendra Nelson, freshman in agronomy, said she likes the variety of food offered on the fun dining hall days.

“They offer a better variety of food on those days, and it breaks up the schedule of their regular monotonous menus,” she said.

The ideas for the special events come from a committee that is formed to make a calendar of events. Ideas also come from the national organization that helps schools trade ideas.

“If students have any ideas, they should let us know. We make up the calendar a semester ahead and are always looking for new ideas,” Larson said.

Larson said the department likes to pick out international meals and meals that would give some educational benefit. An example of this is the “A Salute to Dr. Martin King, Jr.” meal that will take place Jan. 18.

Other upcoming fun dining hall days will be a winter holiday meal Dec. 9 and a “Snack Attack Meal” Dec. 14, the Sunday before finals start.

“‘The Snack Attack’ on Sunday night will be fun because it is relaxed, and students can come and eat a lot of sugars to keep them awake — there will nutritional foods there, too,” Larson said.