Ohio State’s Kennedy Commons has the atmosphere of the classic college dining hall. On a typical evening, an orderly line of students look over the dinner offering while the chatter of diners and the rattle of silverware resonates from the adjacent dining room.

But one thing is missing from the picture: trays. The thin piece of black plastic, a staple of collegiate dining, has been removed from OSU’s commons facilities.

Both Kennedy and North Commons officially went tray-less with the start of Autumn Quarter, in a move that is part of campus dining’s ongoing initiative to “go greener.”

“We determined we could probably save about 900 gallons of water a week without washing the trays,” said Thomas Stevenson, senior director of Campus Dining Services and University Catering.

But not everyone is happy.

“I understand they are trying to help the environment and I respect that,” said Josh Grossman, a sophomore in business. “But with meal plans continuing to be more and more expensive, student convenience should be the priority.”

“Convenient” is the last word sophomore in exploratory Nick Angelo would use to describe the food line at Kennedy Commons. “It doesn’t run nearly as smooth as it did last year,” Angelo said. “Students can’t carry all their food with them at once, so they are forced to make multiple trips, which slows down the line and creates extra work for the employees.”

Stevenson said he views the extra trips as an opportunity rather than an inconvenience. “Students, if they’re up and they’re doing stuff, they’re talking to one another, they’re interacting with each other, they’re getting to know more of each other,” he said. “This should be a time when students spend more time around one another, create friendships that last forever. They are able to use the product in a way where they feel as if they have done their part and that is what going trayless is all about.”

The most frequent complaint Stevenson hears echoes that of Angelo. “I’m sure to some people having to get up two or three times is an inconvenience, but unfortunately that is part of the system,” Stevenson said. “The benefits far outweigh the small, what could be perceived as an inconvenience.”

He urges students to embrace the removal of trays as a changing of the times. “The old style of food service is gone and thankfully so,” Stevenson said.

Angelo and Grossman do not share his enthusiasm. “I’ve already seen people drop their plates more this year and often times the plates will just be left on the table when a student is done eating,” Angelo said. “During busy hours it makes it difficult for students to find a clean place to sit.”

Grossman said the trade-off of the inconvenience should be a discount in meal plans. A “Buckeye Plus” meal plan costs $1,450, an increase of $70 from Spring Quarter 2008, despite cost-saving benefits of the tray removal. The cost savings, Stevenson said, are also aided by fewer hired workers and a cutback of chemical cleaners.

But Stevenson reiterated that the purpose of the tray removal was not to inconvenience students nor solely to cut costs. “Students are pleased that [Campus Dining Services] is going the right way in reference to making the world a better place and helping to reduce what is each person’s own carbon footprint,” he said.

Stevenson said trays might eventually be removed from Fresh Express and other campus locations. Campus Dining Services will consult with the Undergraduate Student Government about further removals after winter break.

Richard Oviatt can be reached at [email protected].