For the Spa, the change began in 1975, when the facility was moved out of the then-crowded library to a new basement room off the sunken courtyard infront ofRoberts Union. Joseph sees the move as the begin ning of the end of the Spa's role as the single social center on campus. "When they moved us down to that end of campus, you lost touch with people on the end of campus toward Woodman," he says. "You didn't see them anymore." Students and faculty were less likely to drop in for a few minutes between classes. Only the worst of procrastinators would leave their The Spa today. books and walk all the way to the Spa in Roberts Union. The social commu from the business. Seiler's, the College food nity that was the Spa was scattered across service, took over operation of the Spa. The the campus. Jo ephs continue to operate the campus "That's j ust gone completely," says vending machines and the game , which Benbow. "There's no place where that re are located near the new Spa. A couple of ally can happen." the offerings from the earlier era-the Mills, a veteran of the original library Skitchwich, named by John Joseph for a Spa, says the ready opportunity for interac student who came back to Colby after serv tion that was there in the era of "Chappie" ing in the Vietnam War, and the Colby has been lost. Eight, the origin of which is more obvi "Most of my students don't see me out ous-still are on the menu. But everything side of my classroom or my office," he says. else says times have changed for the Spa. "We never meet." Today's Spa offers a myriad of offerings, But if the Spa is no longer the Paris cafe from deli sandwiches to homemade soups of the past, the biggest reason for that to doughnuts from Mister Donut to pizza. change may be the natural growth of the The menu is tailored to students' tastes and College over the past 40 years. The student wants, and the biggest problem in recent body has grown, the facilities have been years has been that the place actually be improved and expanded and each graduat came too popular. ing class takes a bit of its own era with it About four years ago, students were of fered an alternative to the traditional fixed when it leaves Mayflower Hill. "I really don"t know much about [the meal schedule that required them to be at a old Spa] at all," admits Annmarie Faiella, a dininghall at a certainhour. "Mi sedMeal" sophomore from Hanson, Mass., who works allowed them to eat at the Spa anytime they at the Spa part time. "All I know is it was in didn't make it to a dining hall. Unfortu Roberts. I worked Alumni Weekend, and a nately, as many as 500 students would how up for breakfast, creating culinary gridlock. lot of them were talking about it." "The student weren't actually mi sing "What did they say?" she's asked. "Mostly they just talked about the good their meals," ays William Robertson, the Spa' manager. "They j ust preferred a burger old days," Faiella say . "It's j ust like anything that anybody and fries at three in the afternoon or a bagel does," Barbara Joseph says. "Time passes and soda at eleven in the morning." So the m is e d - meal program was and things change. Nothing stays the same." When the new Spa opened in the Stu dropped, and in its place is a continuous dent Center in 1 985, the Josephs retired fast-food-type menu at the Dana dining hall. Students still don't have to worry about missing lunch, and the Spa no longer ]ohn ]oseph dispensed Cokes-and fatherly has lines tretching from one end of the advice-until his retirement in 1 985 . 15
tudent Center to the other. Robertson ays people who may ha,·e been put off by the crowd of pa t year are coming back. "It' a mix all clay long," he -ay . "We're eeing a lot more faculty. A l t more taff. And rudems all day long." The menu now include a ho-t of new andwiche with name like "The Katahdin" and "The ugar loafer." andwiches, served on bulky roll-, offer various combination of turkey, ham, provolone and muen ster cheese and are ef\·ed with a choice of chip or pasta alad. Spicy chicken wings arrive with bleu chee e dre sing. Ben & Jerry's ice cream crowd the free:er window. And what is now the best-seller in what was once the realm of the Greek Egg? "TheCooter,"say Eva Littlefield, a pa employee. "Because it's vegetarian. We have a lot of vegetarians." And the Spa also offers service, includ ing free campus delivery for orders of $5 or more. A convenience tore ell mo t thing you'd find in the local 7-Eleven. Residence halls can reserve the Spa for evening pizza parties for up to 60 people. "They bring a video and watch it on the big screen," ays Shirley Littlefield, a senior Spa employee known affectionately a "Gram." "They get sodas here and their pizzas. They ha e them every night of the week." "They're booked up well in advance?" "Booked olid," Littlefield says. 'Two or three weeks ahead." Robertson and Mary Attenweiler, di rector of dining ervice , ay the new and varied offerings are part of an effort to increase Spa bu iness. There i talk of add ing a Spa credit card that would function as a kind ofpre-paid version of the old Spa bill. "We are ort of groping for a ignature," Attenweiler say . "That' Ort of evolving, too, thi year." And if it' any consolation to the pa regular of the past, that ignature may include at lea t a little omething from an earlier era. "We certainly want it to be a place where tudent and faculty can meet, maybe have a conver ation over a cup of cappuccino," Attenweiler ay .
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