ASG opens discussion on flexible meal swipes

ASG voted on Tuesday to pass a resolution supporting "flexible" buffet swipes, where a swipe can be exchanged for up to $12 in dining dollars. The senate doesn't have the power to unilaterally change the meal plan, but ASG is a member of the dining committee, so this bill can trigger negotiations between Dining Services and ASG.

The bill, co-authored by five on-campus senators and sponsored by five senators and the secretary for on-campus affairs Will Ziegert, proposes that ASG endorses a system where at least 25 percent of meal swipes can be converted to declining balance at the time of the transaction. The maximum value of a single swipe is $12, but the value is rounded up to the nearest swipe -- anything less than $10 costs a full swipe. The remaining balance is forfeited.

Initially, the bill offered "no more than 25 percent" of swipes being eligible for flexibility and a dollar value of $10 per swipe. Sen. Zoe Douglas proposed an amendment changing the dollar value of a swipe to $12 and increasing the limit to "no less than 35 percent." The amendment was voted down, but a follow-up amendment by Sen. Sarah Siegel that proposed $12 swipes and "no more than 25 percent," was approved by the senate.

Brian Woodruff, the director of the H.O.M.E. Office, supported the initial version of the bill, said Sen. Mike Meleka, an author on the bill, in senate session. The bill's authors are meeting with Woodruff in the coming week to discuss the possibility for implementation, Ziegert said.

The resolution passed with 43 votes for and three abstentions.

goldjb@miamioh.edu

@jake_gold