The new Flex Plans introduced by Dining Services last semester are now more popular than traditional meal plans, with 51 percent of the 4,392 students on a meal plan this spring choosing a Flex meal plan.
The Flex Plans have attracted 513 new students since last semester and now boast 82 more students than are on the traditional plans. There are 58 fewer students on meal plan this semester than in the fall.
"There was a lot more migration (to the Flex Plan) second semester," said Gretchen Willis, director of Dining Services. "I thought there would be more first semester."
Last semester, 1,724 students were on the Flex Plan, making up about 39 percent of the 4,450 students on a University meal plan. Dining Services tracks only overall participation numbers, not how many students switch plans mid-year.
Willis said students have generally reacted positively to the new meal plan options.
"Whenever I ask them, they all seem happy about it," Willis said. She said she had anticipated even more students would switch to the Flex Plan, but added that she is not disappointed. "It was successful. People don't like change a lot. Maybe there will be more next semester," she said.
Many students praised the new plan, though several said they had miscalculated how to use their Flex points and meal credits. Some have found themselves with excess points left as the end of the semester approaches. Nick Young '09 estimated he has about 150 Flex points and 100 meal credits left. "I will try to spend the credits at (Josiah's) or the Gate," he said.
Young, who was on the 20-meals-per-week plan last year, said he prefers the Blue Room - which takes Flex points but not meal credits - to the Verney-Woolley Dining Hall or Sharpe Refectory. "I switched as soon as I found out there was a Flex Plan," Young said.
Michael Dupuis '08 said he has over 200 Flex points left and will try to spend all of them by the end of the year by "buying stuff at Jo's ... like milk or pretzels."
Dupuis said he thinks the Flex meal plans have worked well. "People gauge how many points they have left and don't run out," he said. Dupuis said he will stick to the same plan next semester - rather than going off meal plan - and will "grab things at the Blue Room more often."
Other students found that they ran out of Flex points more quickly than they had originally anticipated.
Hee Kyung Chung '09, who is now on the Flex 350 Plan, started the year on the 20-meals-per-week plan.
"I changed because I was frustrated with having to spend all my meals," Chung said. "(The Flex Plan) is a lot better than last year. There is no pressure to spend all the credits in a day. Last year, I would go to Jo's every night, and it took up a lot of time. I like this a lot more."
But Chung said she "quickly ran out of Flex points," mostly due to buying cereal in the Campus Market. "I'm stuck in the Ratty now because I have no points," she said, adding that she was surprised to recently hear she also has only 39 meal credits left.
Nevertheless, she still likes being on the Flex Plan. "Now that I know how quickly Flex points go away, I'll be more careful," Chung said.
