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Story #2 Rough Draft

Posted by: Lindsay | October 9, 2012 | 4 Comments |

Do you get your money’s worth?

 

Everyday hundreds of Morningside students file into the “café” to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, are these students truly eating their money’s worth? Breakfast costs $4.50, lunch charges $7.55, and dinner rings in at $9.00.  Most of these prices are more expensive than walking across the street and eating at Dairy Queen or Subway.

Although the dining hall provides buffet style eating, not everyone takes advantage of the many food and dessert options.  The question remaining: should every student be charged the same amount regardless of how much they eat? Lexi Busch, a sophomore at Morningside, said, “I think it is unfair to pay the same amount when I religiously eat a cold turkey sandwich, and the football player next to me has three heaping plates of food.” Although it is the student’s choice whether or not to take advantage of the buffet, not everyone can eat his or her money’s worth in one setting.

Furthermore, Morningside requires you to live on campus for at least your freshman and sophomore year.  First year students normally live in a dorm, with inconvenient or no access to microwaves and ovens, requiring students to purchase a meal plan. Even second year students living in an apartment are denied stove access and hot plates, also motivating them to buy a meal plan.  Katie Weis, a sophomore at Morningside, said, “ I don’t think it’s fair that I pay extra to live in an apartment on campus, yet eating at the café or microwaving every meal are my only options.” Moreover, the college requires the purchase of a meal plan. However, do students realize how expensive these plans actually are?

In the 2009-2010 school year each meal plan cost $1,640.00 per semester. Currently, for the 2012-2013 school year each meal plan cost $1860.00 per semester. While the increase is only $220.00 over four years, most students are not eating any more than they did in previous years. Also, according to the trends from year to year, the meal plans will gradually become more expensive. Obviously with inflation prices they are doomed to rise, but the dining hall could make changes to make the meal plans more affordable.

Students should consider how much they eat and what they believe it is worth.  Is there a way the dining hall could charge only for what you eat? If students paid for exactly what they eat, students would become more conservative. Which would then cut back on food wastes for the dining hall. Charging exactly what each student would eat could also prevent the “freshman fifteen” because they wouldn’t eat from buffet style dining for every meal.

College is already expensive enough for students, and anything that will cut that cost can be helpful. Morningside’s meal plan should be revised and take into account how much food a student actually consumes.

under: Uncategorized

Responses -

Good topic! I liked your lead. It was a good idea to list the prices of the meals, I think that will really catch people’s attention. I think it would give your story more credibility if you talked to someone from the school cafeteria. You might want to state where you got your info about the price per semester. Overall it’s very good!

Great topic! I have the same frustrations and I wish something could change. The lead was good because it got straight to the point of how much we are spending on meals that don’t satisfy our hunger needs. The sources were good coming from students who are forced to eat there, but maybe talk to a person from the dinning center. Overall great organization.

Lindsay,

I think this article is really well put together. I honestly can’t think of any revisions I would personally add.

A good topic, Lindsay, but one that can be a bit overwhelming. You’re going to have to begin a bit more general. Everyone has a meal plan, but the plan is not perfect.

Follow that by outlining the two main issues: cost and fairness. Then get your sources to speak. And hopefully someone from Sodexo to address cost. You could also try Robbie Rohlena or Terri Curry. They’re the student life people.

The info on the various plans is necessary, but again whether you may not need to be so specific. Your audience is already familiar with the subject.

Finally your job here is not to argue a position (that’s an editorial). Cut the last two grafs (the freshmen 15 is another story). Just lay out the facts and let the reader decide for themselves.

One idea to a graf.

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