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Meal plan options changing next year
November 03, 2006
Dining Services hosted two forums last week to discuss changes to the meal plan options for on- and off-campus students that will take effect next fall.
Currently, students may choose to buy 20, 15 or 10 “all you care to eat” meals in the Commons each week. The new plan will feature seven “all you care to eat” meal periods; during the other meals, students will pay for items a la carte, according to Erin McGinnis, director of Dining Services.
The seven “all you care to eat” meal periods will be made up of time blocks during which students will have unlimited access to the Commons, allowing them to leave and come back without paying for each visit, McGinnis explained. The seven blocks will consist of Sunday brunch, Sunday dinner and dinner Monday through Friday.
The remaining meals – breakfast, lunches and Saturday dinner – will be served a la carte and charged to “dining dollars,” a declining balance account similar to LuteBucks. This will allow faculty and staff to purchase food from the Commons using cash or debit cards during those periods, McGinnis explained.
“We want the Commons to not be seen as just for resident students,” McGinnis explained. “We’ll be adding seats and opening the space for the PLU community during declining balance times.”
The dining dollars will give the students more flexibility and variety because they can be used all over campus, including at the coffee carts, Kelley Café and at the convenience store that will be added during the University Center renovation planned for this summer, McGinnis said.
The new plan will also promote sustainable food practices, according to McGinnis.
“With the all you care to eat plan now, it encourages students to take a lot to eat and they waste a lot,” she said. “But when buying food with dining dollars, they’ll be more careful about taking only what they’ll eat. That’s a big savings in waste.”
McGinnis also pointed out the unlimited access during the “all you care to eat” meal periods should also limit the amount of food wasted. Students will take less food because they can always come back later for another apple or ice cream cone, she said.
Dining dollars will carry over from fall to spring semesters, but they will expire at the end of the year. To help students budget their dining dollars, Dining Services will provide a chart at the beginning of the year that maps out approximately how many dining dollars should be spent each week, she said.
The changes to the meal plans are a direct result of the UC renovation, McGinnis said. In the past, the physical layout of the Commons limited the options Dining Services could offer in meal plans.
“Now that we’re talking remodel, we have a chance to change it,” she said.
Dining Services developed the framework of the new plan by working with a consulting firm and conducting their own internal focus groups, McGinnis said. Last week’s forums gave students the chance to voice their opinion and will help Dining Services fine-tune the details of the plan.
“We did a lot of work to figure out which plan best suited us … both for resident students and the rest of the PLU community,” she said.
McGinnis is willing to talk with groups about the changes and answer any questions. Contact her via e-mail at mcginnem@plu.edu.
The seven “all you care to eat” meal periods will be made up of time blocks during which students will have unlimited access to the Commons, allowing them to leave and come back without paying for each visit, McGinnis explained. The seven blocks will consist of Sunday brunch, Sunday dinner and dinner Monday through Friday.
The remaining meals – breakfast, lunches and Saturday dinner – will be served a la carte and charged to “dining dollars,” a declining balance account similar to LuteBucks. This will allow faculty and staff to purchase food from the Commons using cash or debit cards during those periods, McGinnis explained.
“We want the Commons to not be seen as just for resident students,” McGinnis explained. “We’ll be adding seats and opening the space for the PLU community during declining balance times.”
The dining dollars will give the students more flexibility and variety because they can be used all over campus, including at the coffee carts, Kelley Café and at the convenience store that will be added during the University Center renovation planned for this summer, McGinnis said.
The new plan will also promote sustainable food practices, according to McGinnis.
“With the all you care to eat plan now, it encourages students to take a lot to eat and they waste a lot,” she said. “But when buying food with dining dollars, they’ll be more careful about taking only what they’ll eat. That’s a big savings in waste.”
McGinnis also pointed out the unlimited access during the “all you care to eat” meal periods should also limit the amount of food wasted. Students will take less food because they can always come back later for another apple or ice cream cone, she said.
Dining dollars will carry over from fall to spring semesters, but they will expire at the end of the year. To help students budget their dining dollars, Dining Services will provide a chart at the beginning of the year that maps out approximately how many dining dollars should be spent each week, she said.
The changes to the meal plans are a direct result of the UC renovation, McGinnis said. In the past, the physical layout of the Commons limited the options Dining Services could offer in meal plans.
“Now that we’re talking remodel, we have a chance to change it,” she said.
Dining Services developed the framework of the new plan by working with a consulting firm and conducting their own internal focus groups, McGinnis said. Last week’s forums gave students the chance to voice their opinion and will help Dining Services fine-tune the details of the plan.
“We did a lot of work to figure out which plan best suited us … both for resident students and the rest of the PLU community,” she said.
McGinnis is willing to talk with groups about the changes and answer any questions. Contact her via e-mail at mcginnem@plu.edu.