Kent State students like Matt Cola, sophomore electronic media production major, often spend a great deal of their time on the north side of campus.

“Outside of class, I spend anywhere from an extra 6 to 14 hours every week in Franklin (Hall),” Cola said.

Cola hosts a radio show, “The Fizz,” on Black Squirrel radio and said he spends any free time he has editing video and preparing for his show in Franklin Hall.

“Whenever I want to eat while I’m at Franklin, I have to either go halfway across campus or go out and spend money off campus, neither of which are really great options for me,” Cola said.

The Provost Leadership Academy is asking students to participate in an online survey that would secure a new dining location on the north side of campus. Students can take the survey until April 7.

The PLA is a leadership development program comprised of 65 freshmen who work with Provost Robert Frank to propose projects to improve student life for all Kent State students. The program is in its first year of operation.

N.J. Akbar, assistant director of Student Success Programs and adviser for the PLA, said the program is split into blue and gold teams, both of which work on separate proposals.

“The provost led with some suggestions, questions and things to consider for each group and on each project,” Akbar said. “He also provided some insight on which direction he felt might be most achievable by the end of the semester.”

Julie Young, sophomore fashion merchandising major, said she and the other members of the gold team decided to propose a dining cart option on North Campus.

“The cart would allow the option of moving between buildings such as Franklin, Rockwell or Cartwright,” Young said.

The online survey, which students can access via the Facebook event, asks students questions about where they’d like to see a new dining location, what types of food they would like to be served in the new location and what hours of operation would be most beneficial to students.

“Provost Frank and a small group of administrators met with us toward the beginning of the semester and gave us feedback on our initial list of project ideas,” Young said. “The group reacted positively to our idea of a new dining option, but both teams are only working on proposals.”

Young said both teams will present their proposals on April 25.

“There is no guarantee that our proposal will be put into action, and if it were, the timeline all depends on the university,” Young said. “We will all do our best to be persuasive, but it ultimately comes down to what the university officials decide and many factors come into play before our proposal could become a reality.”

Young said she would personally benefit from having a dining location on the north side of campus.

“I am a fashion student, and over the next four years, I am going to be spending a lot of time in Rockwell Hall,” Young said. “Having a dining cart that accepts my meal plan and is located somewhere on North Campus would potentially save me a lot of time and money.”

Contact Leighann McGivern at [email protected]