Caltech's Dining Services team was recently honored with a 2015 Loyal E. Horton Dining Award from the National Association of College and University Food Services, taking home a bronze award for its Midnight Madness event.
Held three times a year during finals week, Midnight Madness is a special event that Dining Services created to provide undergraduate students with an opportunity to relax and refuel with a late-night (or early morning) breakfast during these important academic periods. Leaders from Caltech's administration and student affairs teams are often called upon to help dish up the fun and the food.
"Seven years ago, we noticed that students were often in zombie mode during finals—staying up way too late, not eating, and definitely not having any fun, so we decided to organize our own study break for them," says Jon Webster, the senior director of Dining Services. "We have gotten more and more extreme with the event every year; this year, we turned off all the overhead lights and used strobe lights, desk lamps, and glow sticks to light the meal. We also had a disco ball and music…and it seemed, at least for a little while, the stress of finals was an afterthought for the students."
Written by Shayna Chabner McKinney