News briefs: October 27 edition

By Scott Strasser, October 25 2016 —

A leak caused by a plugged toilet in a bathroom outside the Last Defence Lounge is to blame for the recent closure of Oriental Wok and Noodle Grill Express in the MacHall food court.

The two vendors were closed from Oct. 17–22. University of Calgary facilities management hired ServiceMaster — a commercial property restoration company — to clean the kiosks, as well as the fourth-floor washroom where the leak originated.

Students’ Union vice-president operations and finance Branden Cave admitted leaks through the MacHall envelope occasionally  occur due to the age of the building.

“It’s not an uncommon occurrence,” he said. “We see this more often than we would like to. It’s an aging building. That part of the upkeep was the university’s responsibility even in the old system, so we really hope this isn’t something we keep seeing in the future.”

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Justin Quaintance

The week of Nov. 5 has been set as the opening date for Carl’s Jr. in the MacHall food court, according to facilities workers in the building.

The possibility of Carl’s Jr. replacing Sweet & Savory in MacHall first arose in May 2016.

The announcement was met with controversy. Fifth-year psychology and development studies student Clare Hickie penned a public letter to the Students’ Union in June, stating the burger vendor should not be allowed in MacHall due to their sexist advertising and lack of vegetarian or healthy food options.

In response to Hickie’s letter, third-year engineering student Teng Rong created a counter-petition with reasons he felt Carl’s Jr. should be allowed.

Though negotiations between Carls’ Jr. and Sweet & Savory stalled in June, the two businesses came to an agreement in early July.

Carls’ Jr. will be the second burger vendor in the food court, alongside A&W.