Foy Student Union is set to reopen this fall, complete with renovations that will allow it to compete with the Student Center for culinary diversity.
Largely unused after the opening of the new, yet-to-be-named facility last fall, speculation as to the fate of Foy has been widespread.
The War Eagle Cafeteria, a fixture for decades, will debut halfway through the semester with several new venues, each of which will be applicable to student meal plans.
"We are in the process of securing restaurants for the Foy Union," said SGA President Jacob Watkins. "We're going to have a lot of new venues like a Salsarita's Mexican grill, a Mondo's sandwich place, a salad bar and a soup place."
Not only will the eateries alleviate those in the new Student Center, Watkins said it will provide more choices for what is usually a prerequisite.
"There are so many students, especially freshmen, who have required meal plans so they deserve some variety, places close to the dorms where they won't have to wait in long lines," Watkins said. "These new restaurants will all be available at Foy Union in late October or early November."
The advantages of the War Eagle Cafeteria don't stop with the bistros themselves. Many students favor the building for its round, food-court-like structure.
"It's much easier to see how long the lines are at Foy than it is at the Student Center," said Alex Bradley, a sophomore double majoring in international business and political science.
Bradley goes on to say that none of the restaurants at the Student Center face each other, so you have to get out of line to see how long the wait is somewhere else.
"Foy has much more seating, and it's closer to downtown and a lot of apartment complexes," Bradley said. "It'll be nice to not have to walk across campus from Lowder to eat."
Not only would Foy's location mean two new, convenient, large-scale dining hubs on campus, it would also allow for the use of the many conference rooms and classrooms scattered throughout the building.
Offices formerly belonging to such institutions as the Office of Student Affairs, WEGL, Glomerata and this publication remain vacant.
"Perhaps some other older buildings on campus could be torn down, mainly for Auburn's biggest problem: lack of parking," said Megan Douglas, a senior in education. "Most of the departmental buildings on campus have random classes to fit where there are empty rooms. There's no reason why some random classes couldn't be moved into Foy and maybe another Chinese place would be a great addition."
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