ULM should make meal plans more flexible. A $2,200 meal plan should not leave students with unused swipes by the end of the semester (though Flex Dollars carry over from fall to spring). As a result, students lose money on meals they never get to eat.
ULM offers several meal plans for both residents and commuters. Each plan includes a set of meal swipes for Schulze Dining Hall and Flex Dollars for the Hub. Depending on their needs and budgets, students can choose from options such as Platinum, Gold, Silver, Maroon, Village and Commuter.
SGA’s program to let students donate leftover meal swipes to those in need is helpful, but it does not solve the main problem. Even if students can donate leftover swipes, they are still paying for something they cannot use—that is not fair.
Meal plans should help students, not make things harder. On-campus residents are required to buy a meal plan, but students from low-income families or those without full scholarships should not be forced into a plan that wastes part of their money.
Aayush Chaudhary, a sophomore computer science major from a low-income background and living on campus, donated 60 meal swipes last semester. He said we should be able to get a refund if we do not use all our meal swipes.
“Personally, I wanted to gain access to the Village Plan as that would be more suited to my tastes,” Chaudhary said. “Not being able to gain access to it, I have chosen to live off campus next semester, even if I have a scholarship that covers my housing. Having to pay for the maroon meal plan makes my on campus stay $800 more expensive.”
One idea is a pay-as-you-go system, where students pay only for the meals they actually use. Another option is to expand Flex Dollars or let students turn leftover meal swipes into Flex Dollars, since many already like the Hub for its location and food choices like Starbucks, Flip Kitchen and Chick-fil-A. The university could also offer more adaptable meal plan options based on how often students eat on campus.
Meal plans should save students money, not leave them paying for food they never get to eat. ULM should make its meal system more flexible, fair, and affordable. If the university really wants to support students, making sure their money is not wasted should be a top priority.