In response to student concerns that campus dining options lack both value and convenience, the Board of Trustees has approved a proposal that will replace the system with 14 new meal plans, members of the university Dining Services Committee said Tuesday.
The new system, which will begin next year, will feature options such as unlimited dining, continual access to dining halls, and debit card-style Munch Money. Flex Plan Bonus Bucks also have been converted into one-dollar points.
“We wanted to make a clean break from the old plans,” said Paul Komelasky, director of university dining services. “We tried to open this up and make it less restrictive.”
Student have complained that the 12-option system is a poor value for students with busy schedules, said Garth Miller, director of dorms and commons services. Director of Residential Life Gregg Kindle said the dining committee, which consists mostly of students, developed the new plan during Fall Quarter.
“This should be a change that students will like because students had a lot of input in the making,” Kindle said.
Under the new system, Foster-Walker Complex dining hall will operate non-stop from 7:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m., and Sargent Hall will operate from 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
Five plans will offer almost unlimited access to dining halls as well as point allotments. For example, the Wildcat Premium Plus Unlimited” plan will give students 300 points and unlimited access to all meals Monday through Sunday, including late-night munchies at Foster-Walker. Another plan offers the same seven-day access with reduced points and without the late-night option. Other plans limit access to certain meals, allowing students to eat only lunch and dinner. Each unlimited access plan also includes two guest meal vouchers per quarter.
Dining Services Committee member and Residential College Board President Prashant Velagaleti said the flexibility of the new dining options is “like mom’s kitchen.”
Students who live off campus or in a Greek residence can participate in a new dollar-for-dollar debit program called Munch Money, similar to the WildCARD CashStripe. Students can add dollars and deduct them at campus food outlets using their WildCARDs. An off-campus Munch Money account would require at least $200.
Students with on-campus plans can create a Munch Money account for $25. As an incentive, deposits from $100 to $200 will be given a 5 percent credit. Deposits of more than $200 will be matched with a 10 percent credit: A $220 deposit would credit the account $22 more, Miller said. Unlike Bonus Bucks, unused Munch Money will roll over every quarter.
The proposal also creates two block plans that offer a set amount of meals and points for the entire year.
Committee member and Associated Student Government Student Services Vice President Courtney Brunsfeld said the block plans offer a better value than the Flex Plan because meals will have no cash equivalency and thus can only be used in dining halls. This means Dining Services can charge students less, she said.
“If you do the math, you are getting a much better deal than you were before,” said Brunsfeld, a Weinberg junior. “The actual value for what you’re paying for is more comparable to the actual amount that it’s worth.”
The old traditional and off-campus meal plans will remain unchanged, with only slight variations in days of the week. The Board of Trustees will finalize the new meal plan prices, Komelasky said.
Velagaleti said the new system is subject to further review.
“There may be problems with the plan next year,” said Velagaleti, a McCormick senior. “That’s the thing – you can tweak it.”
