Grilled chicken as an alternative to fried chicken and vegetables not cooked in butter or oil are just a couple of changes students can expect this semester in the dining commons.

After studying the results of an online survey conducted in the fall, the Office of Food Services is attempting to respond to student complaints and requests.

The 5,641 participants in the online survey were asked to rate the commons in categories such as cleanliness, service and quality of food. The average rating for all questions was 2.81 out of a possible 4, up from 2.61 last year.

"We aim to please and are trying to adapt our menus to students," said Brooke Boone, assistant manager of Food Services in Findlay Dining Commons.

Judging from the latest feedback, many students take their dining options seriously. Healthy menu alternatives were important to a significant portion of respondents.

Jane Votral (freshman-nursing) said she likes the dining commons but feels there is too much unhealthy food.

"There should be a low-fat entrée, which means it has to be under three grams of fat, at every meal," Votral said. "I would always get that, because cold cut sandwiches and salads get old so quickly."

Lisa Wandel, associate director of Food Services, said the commons will continue to expand their selection of healthy options, adding a larger variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and keeping the salad bar well-stocked. However, she said there is no intention of completely leaving out the more fattening fare, such as the classic chicken cosmo.

Although the numeric ratings were up, written feedback was more negative than positive.

"That's not unusual," Wandel said, adding that the larger-than-normal volume of positive responses surprised her.

The most recent survey was the second conducted online, and the responses from the online versions have been more helpful compared to past questionnaires, which were handed to patrons while they were in the dining commons, Wandel said.

"If you're sitting at your computer by yourself and there are issues you have, you're going to let us know and not slam for the sake of slamming," Wandel said.

Food Service's efforts have not gone unnoticed by Graham Ford (junior-history and religious studies).

"I think they work hard to provide choices and they provide some delicious meals," Ford said. "The quality meets and exceeds my expectations for a university."

Not everyone is as enthusiastic and there were more complaints in the surveys than compliments, Wandel said. Today's students are sophisticated and expect more, she said, partially because they grew up eating out so often.