By Erica Haynes
Mary Baldwin’s campus underwent several aesthetic improvements over the summer. Ham and Jam Pub and Tyson Terrace located on upper campus have seen some of the more noticeable updates.
Ham and Jam Pub will now be known as University Café, and faculty and students will notice a complete makeover. Director of Facilities Management Brent Douglass said that the entire inside of the café has been renovated, including new flooring, cabinets, counter tops, and plumbing and a fresh coat of paint on the walls. All of the signs inside and outside of the café will be changed to represent the new MBU brand.
The café menu has also been updated. Students will now be able to order Starbucks drinks at a reduced cost, when compared to other coffee shops in downtown Staunton.
Café staff will be offering a full line of the Starbucks frappes, and most other specialty drinks that the chain offers. Each week there will be a drink special, which will be offered at a discount. The café is presenting their first drink special staring in September with pumpkin flavored lattes.
French fries have been taken off the menu, and healthier items will be more available, including a wider range of vegetarian options. The café will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday with reduced hours on the weekends.
Outside of the café, Tyson Terrace has undergone a complete transformation. The goal was to provide an updated and enhanced space for students. Workers replaced the pavement and installed as a centerpiece a compass, a gift from the Class of 2016. The bronze compass is 30 inches in diameter and is inscribed with the Mary Baldwin seal highlighting the succession of names that have documented the evolution of the institution through the years. New furniture has also been added, making the terrace more comfortable for students.
Work on the two projects started in June and no time was wasted on the completion. Cost of both updates was shared by campus Dining Services and Mary Baldwin.
“It’s going to be beautiful and it was a significant effort,” said Douglass who is extremely satisfied with the progress that has been made.
Members of Dining Services are excited to have returning students experience the renovations and look forward to the year to come.