AG Yurkutat ’29 was looking forward to eating at the Food Hall at Sadler their sophomore year. As a student with medical accomodations, Yurkutat said they chose to live in Old Dominion Hall for the 2026-27 school year because of its proximity to their classes and the dining hall.
Those plans changed this summer, however.
Tuesday, July 21, the College of William and Mary announced that the Sadler dining hall will transition from an all-you-can-eat dining hall to a food retail hub. Monday, Aug. 3, the College also announced a delay in completing the West Woods Dining Hall, leaving Commons Dining Hall as the main all-you-can-eat dining hall on campus.
Yurkutat expressed frustration with Sadler changing into a food retail hub. They said they wish the College provided students with more specific information about the proposed change before making the switch.
Yurkutat also expressed frustration with how these dining changes were announced after students had already made their on-campus housing selections. They said this created mobility issues, since they had already prepared for the upcoming semester assuming they would have close access to their classes and an all-you-can-eat dining hall near the center of campus, whether it be Sadler or West Woods.
Yurkutat said they hope the College will consider more ways it can accommodate students with mobility issues impacted by these changes.
“I honestly think the best option would be to try to have at least a small unlimited swipe option or just a regular swipe option available at Sadler,” Yurkutat said.
Charles Kerr ’27 works for the College’s Limited Mobility Shuttle Service.
Kerr said he felt the decision to transform Sadler into a food retail hub went against his perception of what students actually wanted.
“From most interactions I had on campus, people [were really just] asking for Wawa or other local restaurants to accept our dining dollars,” he said.
Kerr expressed concern that the change would make the socioeconomic gap between students more apparent.
He said he thinks the Sadler transition could limit food options for students living far from Commons who cannot afford supplemental meals.
As a driver for the Campus Limited Mobility Shuttle Service, Kerr echoed Yukurat’s concern about how the changes around campus may impact the quality of life for students with mobility issues.
“[The shuttle service] only runs Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. through 5 p.m., so students with disabilities [who need assistance outside of that time] have to either Uber or make the trek across campus through West Woods,” Kerr said.
The Flat Hat contacted Director of Marketing Adam Poling for comment on Yurkurat and Kerr’s accessibility concerns about the recent dining changes on campus. At the time of publishing, Poling has not responded to The Flat Hat’s questions.
Madeline Adler ’29 expressed a mixed reaction about Sadler transitioning into a food retail hub.
Adler said she was excited about having a variety of new retail options on which she could spend her dining dollars. But when she heard Sadler’s all-you-can-eat dining was closing without replacement to provide for these new options, she said she was frustrated.
“I like the idea of having more options for retail, but not if it’s going to be taking up the space of the regular dining hall,” Adler said.
Adler added she is worried about how the recent dining changes will impact her ability to receive affordable and healthy food on campus, especially when her full course load and busy schedule may prevent her from cooking or grocery shopping.
Adler said she hopes the College will engage more frequently with students when it comes to major changes.
“[They should also] maybe wait more and think things through [more] before affecting such major change on our day-to-day lives,” she said.
