Administrators and Tufts Community Union (TCU) senators hailed the creation of a social space and central eatery on campus during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Hotung Café's grand opening on Thursday.
President Lawrence Bacow, Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman, Director of Dining Services Patti Klos and TCU Senators C.J. Mourning and Neil DiBiase cut the ribbon.
"We should all be very proud of not only this facility but of what has been a terrific collaboration of students and staff and faculty to create ... a vital, beautiful space," Reitman said.
Reitman also praised the Livermore, Edwards and Associates architecture firm for designing and creating the space.
The majority of the café's construction was completed by November, at which point the food bar and dining room opened unofficially. Since then, custom-made furniture and flat-screen televisions have been installed in the dining area.
According to Klos, the food served at the ribbon-cutting ceremony showcased the choices now available during late-night hours at the Commons, which also began on Thursday.
The introduction of these new hours and the grand opening ceremony at Hotung "went hand in hand," DiBiase said.
Some of the food available included samples of calzones, French fries, chicken wings, sandwiches, and two types of fruit smoothies.
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Tufts Democrats and Republicans held a debate. Performances by various student groups followed later on, and the dining room turned into "Club Hotung" toward the end of the night, with a DJ playing dance music.
According to Mourning, these events demonstrated the different ways that the renovated café can be used. "When they were planning [the new] Hotung, there were three different spaces they wanted to combine," Mourning said.
She explained that the debate represented how the café will be "a good center for student knowledge," the performances showed how the space will be usable for shows, and Club Hotung illustrated the ways in which Tufts can use the space to revive old, popular social events.
Student reactions to the new facility seemed mixed. While some were enthusiastic about the new look, others were skeptical of how big a difference was really made.
"There will not be a significant change in people's attendance at events based on the renovations alone," junior Chinua Green said. "That will depend on how well the Office of Student Activities continues with [its] publicity."
Senior Jeff Rothbard was more enthusiastic. "It's definitely better - this is a huge improvement," Rothbard said. "I've already been here more than I've been to Hotung in the last three years."
