So I was sitting in my room, as I often do, trying to determine the next Brown policy to deconstruct and criticize. Though I have been a pugnacious opponent of several of this great University's policies, this time around, I won't be attacking a specific policy but a state of affairs. Now, I've criticized the meal plan in another one of my columns ("The meal scam," Oct. 15). To my surprise, some students found this column disagreeable.
I won't deny complaints about the quality and availability of the food at Brown are getting old, but that fact says something about the inaction of the administration - our voices are going unheard. While I would otherwise love to be ignored, this is not the case here.
The greatest innovation from Dining Services of late (or at all for that matter) was the "Tastes of the World" line at the Ratty. It added variation, maybe even a bit of cultural character to the lifeless refectory. But pita and tacos can only add so much character before students begin to cry out in dissatisfaction.
Of course, we are fickle. Show us some hummus and implement a "no tray" policy and we're content. But we are only content for a while. We need a long-term solution to our dissatisfaction. We must realize that, as is, the dining halls are unprepared to meet our nourishment needs. So what do we do?
We riot!
Okay, maybe not. Instead, I'll now present an idea that is by no means original but should be in print: We implement the meal plan at off-campus retail locations. Imagine using Flex points at Starbucks, or meal credits at Au Bon Pain and East Side Pocket. Is that not such stuff as dreams are made of?
There are three foreseeable advantages to this: First, it would make meal plans less of a rip-off. I cranked the numbers in my previous column, and something doesn't add up. Not only are our food options limited, but we get relatively little bang for our buck. If we had to hold the latter constant because Brown probably would not want to revise its meal plans, why not take the opportunity to easily improve the former?
Of course, there are a few who apparently do not share this sentiment (as their angry letters will attest). I think it's safe to say these Dining Services fanatics are in the minority.
Second, more people would be on the meal plan if they knew they could use their meal plan at off-campus eateries. After a few years at Brown the dining options really get old. Accordingly, students abandon the meal plan for the prospect of greater food glory off-campus. Under this change, the diversity of menu options will keep us entertained ad infinitum.
Third, it would stimulate Providence businesses. Imagine how many more customers off-campus retail eateries would get if students were not bound to Brown dining halls.
This would consequently take an operations strain off the University, as dining halls would service fewer students daily. With Brown trying to be economical during America's fiscal crisis, this could be a step in the right direction.
Naturally, one might question whether this change would render dining halls obsolete. After all, why go to a dining hall when you can eat off-campus at no detriment to you?
Well, off-campus food is significantly more expensive, and so that alone might be a deterrent. Convenience and accessibility are other factors. Indeed, sometimes it's just easier to walk to the Gate than a Thayer restaurant, and most Thayer restaurants aren't open late at night anyway. However, I don't see anything wrong with Brown putting a cap on the number of meal credits or Flex points or combination thereof that one can use off-campus. I'm satisfied so long as I can spice things up even once in a while off-campus.
Other universities, such as Boston University, Northwestern and NYU have instituted systems similar to the one I am proposing. In fact, four Ivy League schools (Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale) have done so, according to their respective Web sites. I think it's time we stepped on board.
And stepping on board would be as simple as the University brokering a deal with off-campus retailers through which Brown monopoly money could be electronically exchanged for cash - makes you wonder why we never considered it before.
So maybe, just maybe, when all is said and done, and years from now your child asks you, "(Father or mother), were you able to use your meal credits at off-campus eateries when you were in college?" you'll be able to confidently respond: "Yes, (child name), yes."
Jared Lafer '11 is a philosophy concentrator from Manhattan. He can be reached at jared_lafer(at)brown.edu.
