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The 2004-2005 75th Anniversary Celebration

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About MSU-Northern

Food Service

In 1971 a food service unit was added to the west side of the SUB. Dining facilities in Morgan Hall were closed and all meals were served from the central food service. The food service functioned as a self-supporting auxiliary enterprise for a number of years meeting the needs of students who lived on campus with daily meals as part of their room and board contract, and served off campus students and campus employees through the snack bar operation located southwest of the ballroom. Changing student tastes and a demand for variety, as well as a need to control costs and difficulties recruiting and retaining managers, resulted in the college issuing a contract for professional food management in 1989. Rapid changes in the food service industry brought a variety of management companies to campus, and bids are advertised and contracts reviewed on a regular basis to assure students receive the best possible product and service.

The college SUB and food service were pressed into extensive service to meet community needs when the downtown convention center burned in January of 1972. Many convention groups and civic organizations utilized the food center services in the five year period that elapsed before new convention facilities became available. Campus clubs, organizations and departments use the SUB and food service for special programs and events. The ballroom's large space makes it an attractive venue for community groups. Concerns from local businesses in the early 1990s about the college and its food service contractor having an unfair advantage in serving the general public resulted in both campus and university system policy designed to minimize perceptions of competition and still allow the campus to provide a public service. As of this writing the facility is used primarily by non-profit groups for events and activities that cannot be accommodated elsewhere in the community.

East Hall
Pershing Hall
Donaldson Hall
Men's Co-Op
Industrial Arts
Vets Housing
Student Union
Cowan Hall
Physical Plant
Automotive
Gymnasium
Campus Houses
Morgan Hall
Food Service
Married Student Housing
Math/Science
Electronics
Engineering Tech
MacKenzie Hall
Library
Farm Mechanics
Applied Technology