Thursday, November 8, 2001

Leftover meal plan funds will not be returned to students
By Aaron Chimbel
Staff Reporter

Senior marketing and management major Julie Copeland says she doesn’t like to eat on-campus, so to use up her meal plan she caters a Christmas party every year for her friends.

Copeland, who lives in the on-campus apartments, is required to purchase the $400 meal plan, said Director of Residential Services Roger Fisher. A new dining plan requires continuing students living on-campus to purchase a $600 plan and requires new students to spend $800 each semester, Fisher said.

Any money not spent during the fall semester will be transferred to spring semester, and any money left in the spring goes into the university’s “black hole,” he said.

Fisher said the $800 figure was reached by analyzing the average amount of money spent on meals per person in past years.

Erin Munger/PHOTO EDITOR Ashleigh Taylor, a senior speech pathology major, checks out with Abbie Lyle in Frog Bytes Wednesday. Taylor, who has $231 left on her meal card, is trying to reduce the amount of money on her card or she will lose whatever money is left at the end of the semester.

In the 2000-2001 school year, students had a choice of a $400, $500, $650 or $850 meal plan each semester. Fisher said the meal plans at other universities tend to run from $1,200 to $1,500 for semester.

Fisher said he is asking students to spend more money at on-campus dining locations, rather than at off-campus establishments.

“Most students probably spend between $1,200 and $1,800 on food each year,” he said. “We are just asking them to spend more of that money with us.”

Last month e-mails were sent to students who have not spent at least half the money on their meal plan.

“This balance is high for this time in the semester and we wanted to bring this to your attention,” the e-mail stated.

Fisher said e-mails are sent every year to remind students about their dining accounts.

“We want them to use the food program and not be surprised,” Fisher said.

He said any money added to the flat rate will be refunded so students are not penalized for adding more. Commuter students are not required to purchase a meal plan.

Some students have a different view of the new dining rates.

Freshman pre-major Ross Bateman said he received the e-mail saying he had a lot of money on his card. He said there should be more choices for dining plans, because The Main is closed when he wants to eat.

“The hours that I came come and eat, (The Main) is not open,” Bateman said.

Freshman radio-TV-film major Joseph Morgenstern said he also has a lot of money left on his meal plan, so he is taking his friends to eat. He said he would like to use his meal card at off-campus locations.

“I don’t eat at the regular hours,” he said. “When I’m hungry (on-campus dining locations) aren’t open.”

Freshman dance major Juliana Piscitielo said she already used her meal plan up and added money to it Wednesday. She said she used it up not on eating meals in The Main but on fancy drinks.

“I had to cut down on smoothies and cappuccinos,” she said.

Copeland said she has lived in the on-campus apartments since her sophomore year and cooks a lot so she rarely eats in on-campus facilities.

“I haven’t eaten a meal at the Main this semester at all,” she said.

Last year she said she and her roommate used up their meal plans on quiches, chocolate covered strawberries and spinach dip they ordered from dining services catering.

Fisher said he is encouraging students to spend any excess meal plan money on catering, at the Bistro Burnett in the library, Frogbytes or any of the seven dining locations on campus.

Representatives from dining services have been in the Student Center lobby to make students aware of other ways they can use their meal plans. Among those options, pies and breads are available for students year-round and are $3.99 and $2.99 respectively.

Aaron Chimbel
a.a.chimbel@student.tcu.edu