CDS to offer a block meal plan option

The block meal plan will be available to all students next year.

By Luke Udstuen

Published April 27, 2010

Students will have a new option when choosing their meal plans next semester.

Campus Dining Services Associate Director Steve Simpson said CDS will give all students the opportunity to sign up for a block meal plan, which would reset a student's meal count at the end of the semester instead of at the end of the week.

Students who live in extended campus housing have already had the opportunity to sign up for the block plan.

Residence Halls Association Vice President Lauren Thomas, who used the block system this year, said she preferred the block meal plan to the conventional weekly plan.

"I think it would benefit students with busier schedules that don't have the same things going on each week," Thomas said. "I know it's helped me not waste meals."

Students who enroll in the block system will also be able to use points in place of meals, so students would still be able to order single items at CDS locations, such as Baja Grill, without spending an entire meal.

Simpson said the price of the block meal plans would be prorated to reflect the length of the semester, so a student would not pay more for the block plan.

Freshman Josephine Pace has seven-meal plan. She said the weekly plan makes it difficult for students to budget their meals.

"I think the block system is better, because at the end of the week when people want to go home, they won't have to worry about going to Emporium to use up their meals," Pace said. "I know a lot of other schools function that way, and it seems to go a lot better."

Some CDS retail outlets, such as Emporium, which allow students to use meal points on retail items, experience a bottleneck effect toward the end of the week.

Freshman Corey Hodge, an employee at Emporium, said he has heard from his coworkers what it's like to work Saturday.

"It will be so packed people can barely move," Hodge said. "I haven't personally worked it, but you're constantly refilling things on the shelves."

Offering the block meal plan would eliminate a weekly rush, but Simpson said there still might be rough spots.

"I'm guessing it will be ugly come December, but what we'll do is try to send out reminders," Simpson said.

Simpson said CDS might utilize student webmail to inform students of their remaining meal balance. If implemented, CDS could also tell students how many meals they should have left if they were using their meals at an equal rate.

"I didn't budget until toward the end of the semester, but I think the reminder e-mail Steve Simpson mentioned will help students with that," Thomas said.

Freshman Kristin Inkley said she also supports the block system and would enroll in it next semester.

Inkley also said she doesn't like how some retail facilities, such as Emporium, are closed Sunday.

"I think what they're doing is great, and it's going to help out with the dining halls a lot," Pace said. "It should make Emporium less crowded."