Construction on Billingsly Student Center is not only affecting students. Because the Lions’ Den is temporarily closed, students have to find new places to eat and hang out, while faculty and staff are faced with the same task.

The Brown Bag Lunch series, courtesy of Academic Affairs and Sodexho, gave faculty a chance to join together and give presentations. However, the series has been temporarily stopped.

“Because of the renovation of BSC with the associated difficulty of finding a different location and the additional charges that Sodexho levies for delivering the meals, we decided to temporarily discontinue the program until BSC is reopened,” said Dr. Jack Oakes, assistant vice president of for academic affairs.

Oakes said the temporary discontinuation of this program is expected to save approximately $9,000.

Oakes also said that typically 25-40 faculty and staff members attended.

“They were held on Fridays at noon,” Oakes said. “How often depended on the number of presenters who stepped forward with a topic.

“I am sure that those faculty and staff who enjoyed making presentations and attending are disappointed for the series to be on hiatus.”

When can faculty and staff expect the Brown Bag Lunch series to return?

“We will evaluate the situation, as soon as BSC is brought back online,” Oakes said.