Citing Budget Woes, University Encourages Students To Only Use Meal Plans As 'Last Resort'

Story by Erik Mellgren 

| Published Nov 17, 2009

Hot on the heels of the controversial announcement by the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska that students need to stop using 475-RIDE so often, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln made a similar announcement surrounding another budget-strapped yet equally popular program. Leaders of University Housing, Dining Services, ASUN and the Residence Hall Association held a press conference in the Union last week to announce that students should use more caution regarding the reckless use of their meal plans. The announcement was followed up that day with a letter in the Daily Nebraskan to the student body from vice-president Brian Coburn, encouraging students to only use their meal plans as a “last resort.”

At the press conference, Executive Director of Dining Services Ron Burke stated, “We understand the meal plan program is very popular among UNL students, especially among freshmen, but students are abusing the system. Students who buy the unlimited meal plans are simply going to eat whenever they want and however much they want. That sort of behavior is ruining the program for those responsible students who only go to the dining halls when they have no other option but to eat there.”

Warning letters have been sent out by UNL to those students who have been deemed "overeaters." Those who continue to eat at the dining halls with regularity after receiving a warning will be "blacklisted" and will no longer be granted automatic entrance. Blacklisted students will be allowed admittance to the dining halls pending they pay for it out of their own pocket. The student governing body ASUN voted nearly unanimously in support of this action with the lone dissenting vote coming from senator Matthew Boring.

"I hope this action will send a clear message to the student body," proclaimed Speaker of the Senate Jared Tidemann, "that purchasing an unlimited meal plan does not entitle you to eat in the dining halls whenever you want. Those who are not paying for their meals every day will be forced to, thus solving the crisis."

Over the past several years, universities around the country have been tightening their belts and trimming off excess programs as they continue to let tuition increase well beyond the rate of inflation. UNL has been no exception to this trend. Earlier this year, the University urged students to no longer use the popular program 475-RIDE, which picks up students and takes them home for free. Funding for 475-RIDE is derived from the student fees that every student eligible for the program must pay each semester. Despite this, student government officials are encouraging students to get creative with how they find food.

“It is not too hard to find an RSO meeting or university event that is giving away free pizza on any given night,” said ASUN President Megan Collins. “Kids should look to these opportunities for dinner more often. Eating outside the dining halls is the responsible thing so that this program will not become bankrupted.”

The announcement has been met by resistance and resentment on behalf of the student body that purchases meal plans. With students spending over $7,000 per academic year to cover room and board, few understand why they are not entitled to eat in the dining halls whenever they want.

“At first, I thought the whole thing was some sort of joke,” said freshman Neihardt resident R.J. MacCready, “but then I started getting the stink eye from the lunch ladies when I would come in for lunch or dinner. I knew something was up when not even Flora would say hi to me. Apparently they don’t want me eating the food I pay for.”

The letter published in the Daily Nebraskan by vice-president of ASUN Brian Coburn outlined how the University feels meal plans should be used.

“At no time should you start your day planning to use your meal plan. Instead, it should be a service that you rely on when all other planned options fail,” he wrote.

University leaders also announced that they would be holding a town hall meeting to listen to students’ ideas regarding how to fix the meal plan crisis.

Several students have pledged to spend more time in the dining halls as an act of rebellion against the new policy. Almost overnight student activism has been spreading across campus with the planning of massive sit-ins in the dining halls. Each sit-in has hundreds of confirmed attendees on the social networking Web site Facebook. The actual projected attendance for each sit-in, based on the numbers confirmed on Facebook, is expected to be in the low teens.