Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Shanna Philpot, a junior majoring in hospitality management, serves lunch to Melinda Chacon, a junior majoring in hospitality management at the University Club on Monday. Chacon works with the University Club as a part of her culinary concepts class. NIK [Click to enlarge]

Though the location has changed, the service has not.

The club - which serves as a place for members to hold meetings, be catered and has liquor - is targeted toward faculty and staff members and alumni of the university.

Students can still get a good meal at a reasonable price, said Alan Finkelstein, professor of culinary arts.

Now in their new location, students within the hospitality management program assist the staff at the club.

In an attempt to draw more people to the club, Finkelstein said that changes are underway at the club.

The club has three primary rooms, which can be booked by club members for gatherings and special events. With a membership of 95 people, the hospitality program has initiated renovations to the club to create a new social environment.

As part of the renovations, the University Club will now have a lounge setting with a full bar in its downstairs portion. There are also plans to include couches and a television, which is being decorated by students from the SJSU art department.

Finkelstein said a mural is also in the planning stages for the lounge area; however, it's not open to students.

Students may go to the club for lunch, which is served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.. Students can attend the club if a member accompanies them. Finkelstein said the club is "not a place to go have a beer" for students.

The cost of membership is $25 per month, $10 of which goes toward food and the rest for club upkeep, said Kate Sullivan, hospitality management director and board president for the University club. At the end of the month, the $10 is deducted from the member's tab.

The club also offers 14 one-bedroom apartments that individuals affiliated to the university, including students, can rent for a night or for a month. The monthly rental fee for an apartment is between $500 and $600. Finkelstein added that plans to convert the club into a bed and breakfast are likely, noting a lack of places to stay for visitors to the university.

In the mean time and with improvements underway, Finkelstein said faculty members should take advantage of the club.

Thomas Layton, a professor of anthropology, said he is a regular to the club.

He said he particularly looks forward to Wednesdays when he and other faculty members gather at the club for lunch. He said the lunch meetings connect him to past colleagues and is a time to chat. Layton, who is a vegetarian, said he also enjoys the food at the club. "I like the soup best. They have good vegetarian soup."

The club also offers students a lab course. Students can enroll in a hospitality management course where they learn the fundamentals of wine, spirits and serving beverages. Students will use the bar at the club as their training ground. The bar and lounge are expected to be open by the start of the 2003 Spring semester, Finkelstein said.

Article Tools