The hall, which serves about 300 athletes, will be demolished to build a new coaching center. Since 1908, dinner with the team at the William White Training House after practice has been a nightly tradition for University athletes. But after the spring semester, these dinners will be a thing of the past. Plans to renovate the three-floor training house -- which was built in 1906 as a residential and dining facility for athletes -- to create Athletic Department office space were announced last October. But at that point, the future of the Dining Services facility in the building's basement and first floor was still unclear. In late December, the Athletic Department confirmed in a memo sent to Dining Services that the "T-house" dining hall on South 33rd Street next to Franklin Field will shut down in preparation for the interior demolition of the lower half of the building. T-house will serve its last meal on April 22, according to Dining Services Director Bill Canney. Athletics Director Steve Bilsky said his department is "really excited" about the creation of a much-needed coaching center in the dining hall's former space. "Right now our coaches are scattered all over the place in different buildings," he said, adding that starting this fall, T-house will house all coaches' offices except those for football, squash, tennis and swimming. But as the closing date approaches, T-house dining employees say they are growing more and more worried about the future of their jobs. Many are also skeptical that the approximately 300 athletes who regularly dine at T-house will be adequately accommodated by another dining hall. According to Associate Vice President for Campus Services Larry Moneta, "no one will be affected" by the closing of T-house, and all employees will be guaranteed jobs. "Every employee involved will be absorbed into the dining system," Moneta said. Many of T-house's 36 employees, however, said they have not received any such assurances or information about their future. "No one has told me a thing yet," said Jim Walden, T-house food service manager. Walden, a 22-year veteran of the dining hall, said he was "very shocked and very hurt" when he read the December 23rd memo from the Athletics Department to Dining officials, confirming the closing of the dining hall. "Yes, I knew there were plans to renovate the top two floors, but I had no idea there were plans to do anything with the bottom two," he said. Other employees shared Walden's confusion. "We don't know where we're going or anything," said College sophomore Delia Gable, T-house's student supervisor for the evening shift. "We feel kind of helpless here." Dennis Deegan, a staff and labor relations specialist for the Division of Human Resources, said his office has been communicating directly with the employees' union, rather than the employees themselves. T-house has five full-time unionized employees and 31 part-time workers. "At this stage, I don't think there's been a formal communication to the employees," Deegan said. Walden said he's had a hard time telling his employees -- some of whom have been at T-house for nearly 30 years -- that their workplace will be demolished. Canney said a new dining facility will not be created to replace T-house. He added that "we're using the present facilities that we have." The dining hall at Hill House near 34th and Walnut streets will likely be the new gathering spot for athletes, since it is located near T-house and maintains the same 5 p.m.-to-8 p.m. dinner hours. But some athletes and T-house employees say that won't work. "Hill is almost at capacity, and to bring another 300 kids -- they're going to feed them, but there are going to be some tremendous lines," Walden said. "I think it will be a very different atmosphere," said College junior Sherryl Fodera, a tri-captain of the softball team. "When you go into T-house, there are teams sitting there. I don't think it will be like that in any other dining hall." Canney said Dining will try to preserve some of the T-house traditions. He cited the "pre-game jitters" -- gatherings with refreshments for football coaches and parents of the players before games -- as a practice that will be maintained. The renovated Athletics facility, which should be completed before the fall semester, will be renamed the James Dunning Jr. Coaches Center, in honor of Dunning, a 1970 Wharton graduate who donated $1.5 million dollars towards the project last year. Demolition of the basement and first-floor interiors is scheduled to begin May 4. "I certainly believe the coaches need the offices," Executive Director of Hospitality Services Don Jacobs said. But he added that "we don't want to close [T-house]." "We love this place," Jacobs said.
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