One Emerson: Dining, Bookstore, and Mail Service Updates

Hi,

As we welcomed the Resident Assistants back to campus this weekend and look forward to welcoming Orientation Leaders this Friday, we’re starting to finally feel the great energy of students again! While this will be, as we’ve all said and heard before, a semester unlike any other, we’re excited to put our planning and preparation into practice so we can all get back to school and work.

Campus Services sent an email last week with some updates about mail services, dining, the bookstore, and IDs. I wanted to recap some of the highlights here.

One time-sensitive reminder for residential students: We will make every attempt to place packages that arrive by August 19 in residence hall rooms before students’ arrival, so ship packages now if you haven’t already!

New Mail System!

• All mailing services will now be located in the lobby of Little Building (LB). All residential students will have access to this location, which will be staffed Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
• Students will now be assigned one mailing address for both letters and packages for the entire time they reside on campus. You should have received an email recently with your new mailbox number. Note: Please make sure packages are addressed to your assigned box number at 120 Boylston Street, even though that’s not the Little Building’s physical address.
• You will receive an email notification when a package or letter arrives for you.
• Letters can be picked up at the mail service desk during business hours, or you can request the letter to be placed in a locker for pick-up after hours.
• Packages will be placed in lockers and must be picked up within 48 hours. After 48 hours, they will be moved to LB Mailroom storage and must be picked up within five (5) business days. Packages not picked up by then will be returned to sender.
• Oversized packages which will not fit in lockers can be retrieved from the LB Mailroom during business hours.

Emerson College Bookstore

• We have temporarily moved to an online bookstore model for all textbooks and course materials.
• Course materials must be purchased online through the Emerson College Bookstore website. Go to the Textbooks tab, where you can find course materials by searching for your classes by term.
• We recommend ordering as early as possible and having your materials shipped to your home to then bring with you to campus.
• The bookstore is currently offering free ground shipping on all course materials and general merchandise orders.
• If it is not possible to order your textbooks in time to have them shipped to your home, we will be distributing orders from the bookstore when you return.
• The Bookstore Annex in the Boylston Place alley has been repurposed for additional dining seating since it is located near the Dining Center. Do not go there to pick up textbooks!
• Textbooks and course materials can be picked up from the main Emerson College Bookstore location at 114 Boylston Street.
• From August 21 through September 4, the bookstore will serve only as the textbook pick-up location and not as a general bookstore or Emerson merchandise shop.

Dining Options

• All five campus dining locations will be open with grab-and-go options: the Dining Center, the Lion’s Den, Paramount Cafe, C-Store at the Max, and Backstage Cafe.
• All locations will have fully served stations. Self-service stations have been eliminated.
• Using the GET app, students can use a unique barcode to be scanned at each dining location entry or cashier station for contactless transactions. As an alternative, you can still hand over your ID card to “swipe” in, but we encourage students to use the contactless method.
• You can also use the GET app to order in advance for pick-up in the Lion’s Den or Backstage Cafe.
• Seating has been adjusted to accommodate social distancing. Several spaces next to and near the Dining Center have been converted into dining seating.
• Foot traffic will be one-way, as designated by signage.
• Dining locations will have adjusted hours to allow for clearing between high-traffic times.
• Students with food allergies or dietary restrictions should contact foodservices@emerson.edu to discuss their food needs.
• Board Bucks are accepted at all campus dining locations and several nearby alliance partners, including three new eateries in Emerson properties on Boylston Street: El Jefe’s Taqueria, Garbanzo (Mediterranean), and Tatte Bakery and Cafe.
• EC Cash is like a debit card: You can add money to it and then use the GET app or your ID card to draw down on it at campus dining locations and more than 15 restaurants and merchants near campus. You do not have to have a meal plan to put EC Cash on your card and use it.

Please visit the Dining, Catering and EC Cash section of our website for information about all things meal-related.

Residential Meal Plans

All residential students will automatically be enrolled in Plan A. Students may choose to switch to Plan B or C from August 31-September 11 in the StarRez (housing) portal.

Plan A: 10 meal swipes per week and $700 Board Bucks per term
Plan B: 19 meal swipes per week
Plan C: Six (6) meal swipes per week and $550 Board Bucks per term.

Students who switch to Plan C will have $100 credited to their account.

Commuter Meal Plans

Students not living on campus can choose to purchase a commuter meal plan starting August 17.

Washington: 20 meals + $100 Board Bucks (Cost: $365)
Tremont: 50 meals + $150 Board Bucks (Cost: $570)

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out of you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Take good care,
Jim Hoppe
Vice President & Dean of Campus Life