No more CoHo microwave lines
Eight new microwaves were recently installed in the UC Davis CoHo, significantly reducing wait times for students who bring lunch from home. Several students have mentioned their satisfaction with the new installation and have indicated the benefits and ease of mind that the new microwaves bring.
The project, which was over a year in the making, originally began in 2017 when student leaders approached CoHo Director Darin Schleup and MU Director Janna Tolla to discuss the need for new microwaves. Schleup said the two microwaves that were previously offered weren’t sufficient to meet student demand.
It can be difficult to understand what the majority of students truly need and want, but when multiple students reached out asking for additional microwaves, Tolla said it was a sign that the project would be beneficial for the population.
“It came up to us in several different ways — that way we know that it matters to the student population at large,” Tolla said.
Finding an appropriate location for the additional microwaves was one of the major problems that popped up even before the process began. Tolla and Schleup realized that the original spot did not have the electrical capacity to hold all the new microwaves, prompting them to search for a new location.
“We worked with campus unions and the Memorial Union team to fund the construction of the casework [cabinetry] and pulling of the electrical to support the addition of six more microwaves,” Schleup said.
In response to the length of time needed to complete the project, Tolla said that although it may have felt like a long time from the student perspective, “we were pretty pleased with the process.” With campus projects, regardless of what the project is, there are always steps that need to be completed behind-the-scenes.
“We didn’t hit any major snags that would have caused us to be delayed,” she said.
Schleup also said that the project “was ultimately completed in a very professional manner by the facilities team here on campus.”
Overall, Schleup and Tolla said they are satisfied with the finished project.
Second-year cognitive science major Elizabeth Chaves expressed how the microwaves have made “life easier” when bringing lunch to campus.
“The new microwaves are nice,” she said. “It gives you ease of mind that you won’t have to wait a long time or ultimately eat your food cold, which is very nice.”
Written by: Alexis Lopez-Perez — campus@theaggie.org
