After receiving their letter of acceptance, the new class of Lopers started to dream about what their college experience would be like – new friends, new opportunities and a new town to explore.
It’s safe to say a one-size-fits-all expensive meal plan wasn’t in their dreams.
Switching to only allowing one meal plan option for freshmen is inconsiderate and hypocritical.
Prior to this year, new students could choose between three meal plans. In simple terms, there was a small, medium and large plan, each ranging in size and price. Now, freshmen get one option – a nearly $3,000 per semester plan with 260 cafeteria swipes and $450 to spend at campus’ retail locations.
Freshmen should not have to accept one option for a meal plan, let alone a nearly $3,000 one.
To use up the whole plan, one would have to eat three meals a day every single day of the semester on campus. The potential of a student using the entirety of their plan easily slips away if they go out of town over the weekend or go out to eat with friends.
Plus, this limits their freedom to choose to eat somewhere other than on campus every once in a while. The abundance of already paid-for meal swipes in a freshman’s account could cause them to feel like they can’t explore Kearney’s food scene or try other options.
From our staff members’ experiences, most of us have always had an abundance of meal swipes left. We suspect it won’t be any different for new students.
One freshman from our team had only used 10 of her 260 meal swipes in over two weeks on campus. While she is just one student, it is safe to say there are many other freshmen with similar cafeteria visit stats.
Sophomores don’t have it much better. While they do have three meal plan options, each one costs the same amount. The plans range in number of cafeteria swipes and retail dollars, but not in overall cost. On top of that, the plans are not even $100 cheaper than the freshman meal plan.
The value of the dollar is high as it is, but especially to our demographic. Most of us don’t have much in our bank accounts. We can’t just drop money on anything, including a huge meal plan we won’t use.
It is also worth mentioning the freshmen meal plans at UNL, another college within the Nebraska University System. At UNL, freshmen get five meal plan options and the cheapest meal plan is $200 less than UNK’s cheapest freshmen meal plan.
One of UNK’s biggest marketing tactics is being the cheapest university in the state. Meal plans should reflect that.
We understand that UNL and UNK have different food providers. We also recognize that food and paying the dining team is expensive. Meal plans have to cost so much to ensure the food and the staff can be paid for.
Still, there has to be a better option. One that gives students more of a choice, like it used to be.
Meal plans are set in stone for this school year, but things need to change for next year. Students should have a choice, and we ask that it be given back – for the sake of ourselves and future Lopers.
