Moesha Facey
The meal plan at the Mount offers 4 base meal plan options all costing $3700, with adjustments in flex dollars (extra money for spending) corresponding to fewer meals. The 21+ meal plan provides 21 meals weekly with $75 flex dollars. The 14+ meal plan provides 14 meals weekly with $575 flex dollars. The 7+ meal plan provides 7 dinner meals weekly and $1225 flex dollars, while the 5+ meal plan provides 5 dinner meals weekly and $1450 flex dollars. Additionally, there is a commuter meal plan that gives commuter students 15 meal swipes per semester for $210. Meal swipes are used day-to-day and do not roll over. Flex dollars roll over from the Fall Semester through the Spring Semester and expire on the last day of the semester.
Many Mount students feel that the meal plan is too expensive, lacks flexibility with mealtimes (especially for athletic students), does not cater to all dietary preferences, and results in wasted meals because meal swipes do not roll over.
Daniel Wheeler (C’25); the Executive SGA President, along with Michael Wilkes (C’25); the Executive SGA Vice President, Ross Butler (C’25); the treasurer of SGA, Declan Phelan (C’25) and John Marinelli (C’25) are the faces to a taskforce on campus advocating for reforms to the Mount’s meal plan. Wilkes stated that the idea of changing the meal plan was something he, Wheeler, Phelan and Butler always talked about doing since their sophomore and junior years at the Mount, but they only started taking initiative steps this past May.
On September 20, 2024, Wheeler, Phelan and Marinelli authored a meal plan reform bill. The bill calls for revisions in various areas of the meal plan, some including the high cost, flexibility to cater to student schedules and dietary inclusiveness. It also requests the rollover of meal swipes, the ability for students to use meal swipes or flex dollars at outside food establishments, and improvements in food quality.
On September 23, Wheeler, Wilkes and Butler had dinner with President Joyce to present the bill, and Joyce agreed to its terms. The bill was then passed on September 24 by the SGA senate. Since then, some changes have already taken effect, and ongoing work is being done to implement other changes.
A Food Communications Committee has been formed subsequent to Joyce’s request, with the purpose of meeting over food issues on campus. The committee will be meeting with organizations like Aramark the Mount’s food vendor, the President’s cabinet, Dining Services, Accounting and Finance Offices, and other necessary organizations to implement changes to the meal plan. The committee is currently preparing to meet with Aramark, which provides food to all three food locations on campus, to negotiate associated changes.
Aramark also partners with other schools of similar population and remote location as the Mount, and statistics show that the Mount’s prices are oddly significantly higher than those of other schools. Wilkes also mentioned that he encountered college students from other schools partnered with Aramark, who are allowed to use meal swipes and flex dollars at outside restaurants. However, Aramark prevents Mount students from doing this as they say it is to avoid competition with outside food places. Wilkes along with other members of the committee found this objective. Wilkes said, “Aramark has been our partner for a while, and we don’t want to upset our partners too much, but at the same time, we want students to get the best food and best services.”
Wheeler expressed, Mount’s SGA is responsible for voicing student concerns, but it’s the student voice that truly matters.’ As the committee continues its work, students are encouraged to keep voicing their opinions so that actions can be taken.
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