Campus eateries inflexible

To the Editor:

I would like to get the attention of the general student body and the Undergraduate Council of Students in a matter that concerns all of us: the use of our meal credits at the Gate and Josiah's. The practice of not letting students use two meal credits at once has got to go. Anyone who has gotten $7-plus of food at either of these fine dining establishments late at night knows that you must use flex points for any purchase over $4.45 regardless of how many meal credits you have left, even if you have two or three. I have asked and heard several reasons for this: "The University wants you to use flex points"; "The computer won't swipe your card twice in a row for a meal credit"; "If you try and buy two meal credits worth of stuff every day, there might not be enough left for others"; and my favorite and most credible for our institution "If you use two meal credits it holds up the line and isn't fair to the others waiting behind you." These "restaurants" make you take all your purchases over $4.45 and cycle through the line a second time if you wish to use a second meal credit. This is ludicrous. If you are in line at the supermarket, it doesn't matter how many items you have or if you bought the last roll of toilet paper in town. They will take care of your needs no matter how long you hold up the line.

Also, the University charges $11.45 for dinner while our Gate meal credit is worth a measly $4.45. If this is type of customer dissatisfaction is commonplace on the East coast, someone please tell this humble Alaskan, but until then, let me use my two meal credits. Sorry - didn't mean to hold you up in line.

Matt Palmer '09 Feb. 13