In an effort to increase the number of students eating on campus, Dining Services will offer an expanded set of meal plans this fall. The new plans, which vary in structure from traditional meal plans, are designed to increase flexibility for students, said Gretchen Willis, director of Dining Services.
New Flex Meal Plans will allow students to purchase meal plans for the same price and value of traditional plans that offer seven, 10, 14 and 20 meals each week. Instead of a certain number of meals per day or week, Flex Meal Plans offer a total number of meals for each semester as well as an increased number of flex points that can be used at students' discretion. For example, the Flex 460 plan offers 230 meals - or approximately 14 meals per week - plus 250 flex points per semester to equal the value of the traditional plan that provides 20 meals per week, Willis said. There is no restriction on when these meals can be redeemed. Unused meal credits and flex points will roll over from one semester to the next but not between school years.
The traditional meal plans will continue to be available, and Dining Services is also re-introducing a meal plan for students living off-campus that will provide 25 meals per semester and 500 flex points.
"The off-campus meal plan was designed so that students who normally have their breakfast and dinner at home can stay on campus between classes throughout the day when they are taking classes," Willis said.
This fall will also see several changes to the process of redeeming unused meal credits at Josiah's and the Gate. The value of a credit will rise from $4.45 to $5.20, and students will be able to use two credits simultaneously without returning to the end of the line between purchases. This change is designed to reduce the number of complaints cashiers receive from frustrated students trying to redeem multiple credits, said Angela Sherwin '07, general manager for Dining Services. Under the new plan, students will only be able to exchange up to two credits at these venues in a given day.
Dining Services is also extending its offerings by adding three meals to the calendar next year. Students will be able to eat dinner on campus on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the Tuesday before the start of the second semester and the Sunday after spring break.
In past years, members of the Undergraduate Council of Students and Dining Services employees have worked together to change the University's meal plan options. These efforts gained momentum last spring, and Willis worked closely with Sarah Saxton-Frump '07, then president of UCS, Deanna Chaukos '08, chair of UCS's campus life committee, and a focus group of student managers at Dining Services to determine the best combination of meals and points for each plan.
"It took a lot of research to find the right thing for Brown - there are as many meal plan options as there are schools," Willis said. "It was definitely a challenge which required a lot of hard work as well as all the planets to be lined up."
Sherwin said she is confident and excited about the new meal plan options. "From my experience, students at Brown are all about having the freedom to make their own choices and have control of their lives, and I really think the new (Flex Meal Plans) offer just that," she said.
Willis acknowledged the new Flex Meal Plans may not be appropriate for all students, adding it is for this reason the traditional meal plans will continue to be available.
"Students who need more structure and don't like the idea of keeping track of their meals throughout the semester are less likely to be attracted to the new plans," Willis said. "But for student-athletes or students who are frequently on and off campus, the (Flex Meal Plans) where they won't have to worry about losing meals at the end of the week will probably be very successful."
As with any new program, both Willis and Sherwin said they anticipate a certain level of confusion among students regarding the new plans. However, they intend to limit misunderstandings by making information readily accessible.
Cashiers at dining venues across campus will be able to inform students of their balance in order to help them keep track of their meals throughout the year. Willis said she also hopes to make this information available on the Internet in the near future.
Information about the new options is available on the Dining Services Web site and was sent to students in a packet from the Bursar's Office in early July. Dining Services employees will work to educate students about the plans using a combination of printed materials, presentations and information sessions, according to Ann Hoffman, associate director of Dining Services. Hoffman said she is still working to finalize these materials.
"I'll be here in the office and ready to jump on the phones to answer questions," Willis said. "The letter sent with the information from the (Bursar's Office) said that meal plan responses are due August 1, but we are going to be pretty flexible this year considering all the new options students have to choose from."
"The more information we can give students ahead of time the better things will be for everyone," Sherwin said. "The key is to educate students in the beginning of the school year so that people can switch their meal plans if necessary to be sure they have the best plan for their needs."
Students can make changes to their meal plans for the first three weeks of the semester, Willis said.
Dining Services employees say they hope to see more students take advantage of the University's dining options.
"I sincerely believe they will better meet the needs of many students who previously would have dropped their meal plan," Hoffman wrote in an e-mail to The Herald sent July 10. "I think they will be easier to understand and navigate, and provide the flexibility many students are looking for."
