It is no secret that as a student living on Morningside’s campus, you are required to have a meal plan. However, the meal plan is not perfect, and does not satisfy every student’s needs.
The dining hall provides buffet style eating. However, 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?
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. Especially when the only time students can take food out of the dining hall is if they have purchased a to-go meal.
Students should consider how much they eat and if it is worth the cost. Is there a way the dining hall could charge only for what you eat? If students paid for exactly what they eat, they would become more conservative. Which would in turn cut back on food wastes for the dining hall.
Student Heath Center Director, Carol Garvey, R.N., B.A., said, “In many ways I think there are too MANY options. The buffet that is offered every meal is very different than what your family meals looked like at home before you came to college. Desserts options offered at every meal seem way over the top as well as all of the sugary drinks. Personally, I would love to see Morningside move to a school garden and raise (on campus) a large percentage of the food served in the cafe. Maybe work-study jobs to tend the gardens.”
Vonda Hilliard, a Sodexo employee, said, “I think the students have too many options, and they do not take advantage of the sack-lunches.”
Moreover, 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.
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 should make changes to make the meal plans more affordable.
Carol also had an interesting outlook on the pricing she said, “I like to describe the pricing, in my opinion only here, like insurance money is pooled to balance for all. Do I think some students will eat more than the average and some less than the average~ yes. But in order for the food service to pay their workers as well as buy the food to serve 1000 or so students on a daily basis, this is probably the best option to assure enough food for all. Shipping of food is a large expense, so back to my campus food garden..fresher and no shipping fees.”
Although the meal plan is not perfect, there is room for improvement. Morningside could start producing some their own food to be used in the dining hall. Students should also take advantage of the to-go lunches. Whether a student chooses to eat or not, they are still paying for it. Hopefully, in time Sodexo and Morningside can work together and better tend to specific student needs.