By Morgan Nguyen, Senior Staff Writer
Dining services will institute a new meal plan next school year - a change that has many students voicing concern and Associated Student Government (ASG) working to increase flexibility within the plan.
The redesign of the meal plan institutes a specific amount of buffet swipes which will only be accepted at Garden Commons, Martin Dining Hall, Harris Dining Hall and Western Dining Hall. Students can then add a certain amount of declining balance, dependent on the level of meal plan chosen, to use at a la carte locations. Declining balance will continue to roll over from semester to semester, while buffet swipes will only be valid for the semester during which they are purchased. The plan was redesigned by Dining Services; efforts to make amendments to the plan that integrate more student opinion have been initiated by ASG.
"Most students have complained about the buffet meal swipes," said Sammi Podolyan, the ASG Secretary for On-Campus Affairs. "Students love the flexibility of the current meal plan, which lets them eat anywhere, at any time."
Though the new meal plan also touts a perk of flexibility, many feel it doesn't adequately serve student's needs or preferences.
"It's a worse deal for students. It decreases the amount of options students have during their day," said sophomore Maddie Smith. "Financially, there's not a good option for students who want to save money on their meal plan. When you ask for more transparency and you get the same thing in another package, it begs the question why students weren't involved in the the decision-making."
ASG has heard many complaints about students not having enough time between classes to eat a meal at a dining hall.
"Some students are so busy that they only have 10 minutes between classes to eat, and simply don't have the time to venture to the outskirts of campus to buffet dining halls," said Podolyan.
While dining halls will no longer be closed between meal times, students would still like to see increased flexibility to buy food on tight schedules.
"Dining could provide to-go containers for students who don't have the time to sit and eat in a dining hall," said first-year Ambika Kumar. "Many students like myself have class after class, and don't have time to get any other food besides something to-go from the market of Armstrong."
The resounding opinion is that the new dining plan does not fit students' lifestyle and availability. ASG recognized this and recently passed legislation to push for more options within the plan.
"On Tuesday, March , ASG passed a resolution voicing our stance on the new meal plan," said Podolyan. "While there are parts of the meal plan we believe are positive changes, like the transparency and value the new plan provides, we do not think it is flexible enough for students."
ASG is continuing to work with administration on the issue to ensure that the student voice remains the focus. The opposition in that student voice is growing as awareness of the new meal plan spreads. Some students' first reaction was confusion.
"I did not see the necessity to change the meal plan since it works for so many people and gives students a lot of options that can work with their schedule," said Kumar.
The outlook for a reform to the meal plan is optimistic.
"We just want to make it more reasonable for our students," said Podolyan. "Our main goal moving forward is to allow people to use their buffet swipes at centrally-located a la carte locations like Armstrong, Maple Street, and Bell Tower."