Apparently the cost of a meal plan I don't use increased

[MonkeySage]

I live on campus, and even though I buy my own groceries and prepare my own vegetarian meals, I am required to have a meal plan. so each semester I go with the lowest one: $300 dcb. except, this semester, while aid has not increased, the lowest plan is now $500. and this is money that if not used, will go to waste. I am throwing away money I am forced to spend on a meal plan I never use. living off campus is not an option either, I live way too far away.

[Chen]

Is there nothing you can use out of this plan though? Seems silly to just waste it. Could you not also offer to buy other people meals in exchange for cash (probably at some discount of course)?

[Honest Tiefling]

When I was in college, I knew several people who wanted to save money on food. So they got the cheapest meal plan, and bought cheap carbs and once a day went to the dining hall to load up on protein and veggies. While that's...Probably not the best plan, is there anything at the dining hall that is edible (and preferably expensive)?

Also, is it possible to speak with anyone to bend the rules? Especially if the dining hall cannot accommodate your dietary preferences.

[MonkeySage]

Everyone who lives on campus is required to spend at least $500 on a meal plan. Our Dining hall is pretty much nothing but meat, salad, and soda. There's a Chik Filet and a Starbucks... pretty much the only thing i have ever used the meal plan on was coffee and that was just so i wasn't wasting it... but I only ever go to starbucks when i'm in no position to just brew my own coffee.

I am hoping I can raise a complaint that actually goes somewhere...

[Frozen_Feet]

What do you mean by "required to have"? What's the penalty for opting out / not paying?

[FreddyNoNose]

Everyone who lives on campus is required to spend at least $500 on a meal plan. Our Dining hall is pretty much nothing but meat, salad, and soda. There's a Chik Filet and a Starbucks... pretty much the only thing i have ever used the meal plan on was coffee and that was just so i wasn't wasting it... but I only ever go to starbucks when i'm in no position to just brew my own coffee.

I am hoping I can raise a complaint that actually goes somewhere...

Talk to the ACLU. Perhaps there is a legal advocate for students somewhere in the town as well..... Lawyers sending letters can change things faster than your complaining to them. Who knows, perhaps there are laws that will aid you in this.

Is there an online discussion forum for your school where you can discuss this with other students?

[MonkeySage]

What do you mean by "required to have"? What's the penalty for opting out / not paying?

As in, it's automatically factored into our tuition costs, and the only "freedom" we get, is to choose which plan we can get.

[FreddyNoNose]

As in, it's automatically factored into our tuition costs, and the only "freedom" we get, is to choose which plan we can get.

Also, you are a vegan. Can you get some documentation from a Doctor saying something about your diet for your health? Do you have a local tv news station with a "troubleshooter" news caster to get this information out in public? How about someone who does publicity who might take this on pro bono?

[MonkeySage]

Sadly no, ovo lacto. Not sure about anyone in media but, also I live in the south, where vegetarians get little solidarity.

[Peelee]

Oh god, I hate when colleges pull that crap.

It's no help to your problem at all, but if the college is in an urban area, how would you feel about getting the food anyway and giving it to the homeless? Ideally, you wouldn't get hosed to start with, but if there's no way out, that's a potential way to at least do some good with it. Dunno if there's any reasons you wouldn't or couldn't do that, just felt I'd throw out the idea, just in case.

[Fiery Diamond]

Oh god, I hate when colleges pull that crap.

It's no help to your problem at all, but if the college is in an urban area, how would you feel about getting the food anyway and giving it to the homeless? Ideally, you wouldn't get hosed to start with, but if there's no way out, that's a potential way to at least do some good with it. Dunno if there's any reasons you wouldn't or couldn't do that, just felt I'd throw out the idea, just in case.

I know one reason it might not work: some colleges don't let you remove food from the dining hall. I know mine didn't.

[golentan]

Is there a way you can load up on pasta and bring it home for a quick meal every now and then? I was in a semi-similar position in college, and finding pasta marinara, or going in for breakfast options and stocking up on Bagels and Schmear saved me some expense and made mornings easier (breakfast with coffee and waffles when I'm tired? Yes please).

[Anonymouswizard]

Yeah, sometimes I'm glad that, here in the UK, all universities* give you the option to be self catering when living on campus, and mine didn't even give you a catering option (thankfully I can cook, but I knew people who couldn't). It took a while to get into the swing of things but I honestly preferring cooking in the flat kitchen to eating in the food outlets. It just annoyed my friends whenever I ranted about the electric stoves (I learnt to cook on gas, being unable to see the flame makes it really hard for me to judge if it's at the right level, and no there were no lights to even tell you if you'd put the right one on).

And yeah, this seems really bad. I assume they give you access to kitchens on-campus, so why are they also forcing you to spend money at the food outlets or waste it. At least my university provided actual meals at lunchtime (I have good memories of the stir-fry), but they didn't try to do something like this despite cutting money wherever possible (do not get me started on the cleaners).

I mean, the ideal in this situation would be to get into a house with friends, I assume that's a thing over there? Most people did it, I only stayed on campus for my entire degree because I have serious organisation problems (related to a disability) which lead to being as close to the disability service as possible was useful.

I also suggest going over the relevant regulations and making certain it is required, and making some form of official complaint. I can see various reasons why people might not want to use their meal plans, and there really should be a $0 option (I mean really they should just charge for food at the point of service and let students eat however they want, but I'm guessing that's not an option), what if the food required isn't safe for a student?

* to my knowledge.

[Peelee]

I know one reason it might not work: some colleges don't let you remove food from the dining hall. I know mine didn't.

Not even able to get a take-out box at the cashiers station when you enter? Forcing you to pay for food you dont want is one thing; forcing you to not even be able to eat it at home is a whole 'nother thing.

[Keltest]

At least on my campus, you could use your meal plan to pay for things like pencils, notebooks, water bottles, etc... from a little store set up in one of the larger buildings (not the cafeteria). Is there anywhere like that on your campus? I ended up getting a lot of chocolate bars for my parents when they visited (it was slightly fancy chocolate!) but you could, like, become a drinker of lots of water I guess?

[factotum]

Yeah, sometimes I'm glad that, here in the UK, all universities* give you the option to be self catering when living on campus
.
.
.
* to my knowledge.

Don't know if this is still the case now, but when my brother attended University College at Durham University 30-odd years ago there was no self-catering option. That may also be/have been the case for some Oxford and Cambridge colleges.

[Anonymouswizard]

Don't know if this is still the case now, but when my brother attended University College at Durham University 30-odd years ago there was no self-catering option. That may also be/have been the case for some Oxford and Cambridge colleges.

As I said, to my knowledge, I think the option is at least standard now, and it's not unusual to go for 'right, you have to sort it out yourself'. It will likely vary a bit on the university and college, but when my school went through picking unis the image was you'd always have the option to take self-catering.

I wouldn't be surprised if older universities discouraged it at least, because I know in some Oxford colleges it is very much a case of students eat in the hall. But this is why I noted that I might not be correct about it.

[darkrose50]

I know one reason it might not work: some colleges don't let you remove food from the dining hall. I know mine didn't.

[1] Place an order with the head of the kitchen for $500 in Peanut Butter [Captain] Crunch! You will get all the girls (?), no doubt, and you will win at the game of college!

[2] Take all your dates out to lunch, at the cafeteria! "Nothing but steak and lobster for my favorite carnivore!"

[3] Fill your bathtub with Peanut M&M's!

[4] Trade food for favors. Git your mind out of the mud . . . but someone would do laundry (or something) for food.

[5] Trade food / food credit for money?

[6] Invite a bunch of homeless for a feast?

[7] Alternatively place an order with the cafeteria for whatever it is that you want.

[Errata]

Not even able to get a take-out box at the cashiers station when you enter? Forcing you to pay for food you don't want is one thing; forcing you to not even be able to eat it at home is a whole 'nother thing.

A large university will likely have multiple dining halls. The ones I've been to have two basic styles of them:
1) All you can eat. These are fairly common, and are the primary option at many schools. You pay for entry and can have whatever you want from the things they offer. These typically do not allow you to take food away, for obvious reasons. You could carry a weeks worth of food out there each visit, and students will take full advantage of that sort of thing if there's not a policy.
2) A la carte. You pick items you want individually, pay for them right away, and take them. With these you can usually leave and eat them anywhere, because why not. The exception is if there is hot food served with real plates, silverware, glasses, in which case takeout may not be appropriate. But usually if the school offers both, the a la carte option is a little more casual and portable.

So if you think it's weird you can't take food home, maybe your school only had #2. While if the OP thinks there's no way to get any value out of their meal plan, maybe they only have #1. At my school I would normally use #1 options, but occasionally I would have unused credit expiring at the end of a semester, so I would make sure to get my money's worth of non-perishables from #2 options.

[Peelee]

A large university will likely have multiple dining halls. The ones I've been to have two basic styles of them:
1) All you can eat. These are fairly common, and are the primary option at many schools. You pay for entry and can have whatever you want from the things they offer. These typically do not allow you to take food away, for obvious reasons. You could carry a weeks worth of food out there each visit, and students will take full advantage of that sort of thing if there's not a policy.

My college works the same way as buffet restaurants - pay to enter, take as much food as you want if you eat in, or take a to-go box at the register when you enter and fill it as much as you want/can, and leave. Certainly can't get a weeks worth of food in there, and you actually get less potential food than if you ate in, but that's the price of the to-go box.

[Errata]

My college works the same way as buffet restaurants - pay to enter, take as much food as you want if you eat in, or take a to-go box at the register when you enter

That would work. But I guess I've never seen a buffet restaurant with a to-go box option like that, dining hall or otherwise.

[golentan]

That would work. But I guess I've never seen a buffet restaurant with a to-go box option like that, dining hall or otherwise.

That was how my dining hall did it. You could claim one to go box per day, and it was big enough for three meals, basically. Other than that, it was free feed once you were in, they just scanned your student ID at the door and counted it against your meal plan, and if necessary accepted cash for a "guest pass."

[WarKitty]

When I was in college there was only #1 - eat in. Drove me up a wall when I had classes all day 2 days a week, because the meals they gave you weren't very much and there were almost no options (especially as I was a vegetarian, which means the only carryout option I would be offered was PBJ).

On the other hand, the whole place was staffed by students, so most of them didn't care as long as they had plausible deniability so they could claim they didn't know. As long as you made some slight effort to be furtive you could pretty much take anything out.

[Peelee]

That would work. But I guess I've never seen a buffet restaurant with a to-go box option like that, dining hall or otherwise.

Every Chinese buffet I've been to does this. Higher end buffets don't, of course. Sorry, shoulda specified Chinese buffet.

[Velaryon]

And yeah, this seems really bad. I assume they give you access to kitchens on-campus, so why are they also forcing you to spend money at the food outlets or waste it. At least my university provided actual meals at lunchtime (I have good memories of the stir-fry), but they didn't try to do something like this despite cutting money wherever possible (do not get me started on the cleaners).

Not necessarily a safe assumption. In an apartment (whether on campus or off) you're likely to have a kitchen, but most dorm rooms that I'm familiar with are little more than bunk beds, two desks, and a split closet. When I was in college I didn't have the ability to cook for myself at all.



A large university will likely have multiple dining halls. The ones I've been to have two basic styles of them:
1) All you can eat. These are fairly common, and are the primary option at many schools. You pay for entry and can have whatever you want from the things they offer. These typically do not allow you to take food away, for obvious reasons. You could carry a weeks worth of food out there each visit, and students will take full advantage of that sort of thing if there's not a policy.
2) A la carte. You pick items you want individually, pay for them right away, and take them. With these you can usually leave and eat them anywhere, because why not. The exception is if there is hot food served with real plates, silverware, glasses, in which case takeout may not be appropriate. But usually if the school offers both, the a la carte option is a little more casual and portable.

So if you think it's weird you can't take food home, maybe your school only had #2. While if the OP thinks there's no way to get any value out of their meal plan, maybe they only have #1. At my school I would normally use #1 options, but occasionally I would have unused credit expiring at the end of a semester, so I would make sure to get my money's worth of non-perishables from #2 options.

My school had both in the different dorm buildings. Most of the a la carte places sold fast food stuff (burgers, fries, pizza, etc.) though, so if you wanted anything even remotely resembling healthy, you had to go to the all-you-can-eat places.

Our meal plans were split up by week, with no ability to carry over, so I would often buy extra drinks and more expensive items I wouldn't normally splurge on during the weekend, just to use up my balance before it reset on Monday morning.



Every Chinese buffet I've been to does this. Higher end buffets don't, of course. Sorry, shoulda specified Chinese buffet.

I wonder if perhaps some buffet-style places might offer this option, but not publicize it very well. It's worth asking, anyway.