Vanderbilt Dining and Rand Dining Center have perhaps realized their greatest achievement.

The Tuesday dinner menu of tortellini and salad bar, colloquially known as “Tortellini Tuesday,” has transformed Rand dinner into a weekly phenomenon. Students from all parts of campus, including freshmen tired of Commons Center fare, make their way toward Rand for the hot Italian treat of a meal.

There are, of course, some setbacks. Even when four stations are open, lines are long and move relatively slowly. Those students old enough to remember Cohen’s pasta nights on Peabody campus will be quick to note that Rand has less variety in meat choices. The to-go containers are often too flimsy for such a substantial dish.

Nevertheless, the crowds of diners speak for themselves. The magnitude of students who are willing to stand in long lines for a taste of some uncommon dining hall food clearly indicates that Tortellini Tuesday is a winner. The employees cooking behind the glass are patient and professional. The weekly schedule ensures the good eats do not become redundant (as many argue even the best of the Commons food can become).

Most importantly, however, is that the food itself is great. The marinara and alfredo sauces, chopped chicken and garlic options, and the seemingly endless amounts of tasty tortellini means that dinner at Rand is back again.

The problem with dinner on campus in the past has been the lack of what brings students together at lunchtime. With Rand as a central place on campus, students and faculty often gather for lunch meetings or just to enjoy a break during the day. Discussions of all different topics between all sorts of students occur. The transformation of Rand, with the addition of Chef James Bistro and other restaurants, has only enhanced the dining hall as a place of social and intellectual interaction. The Commons Center provides another of these places, particularly for Peabody students and freshmen, and a new, exciting dinner menu has translated that success to the evening hours as well.

Tortellini Tuesdays has been a part of making Rand cool for dinner again, perhaps if only for Tuesdays. Still, this means more students, rather than heading off to other quality, if decentralized, restaurants for dinner, are coming to eat in a place that, by its very location, fosters community involvement. This is an aspect of living at Vanderbilt (and not just on The Commons) we can all hope to make better in the coming years. — Michael Warren