The Keystone would like to hear your opinion on the new meal plans that have been implemented, starting the Fall 2016 semester.
Comment below and tell us what you think!
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12 replies on “New Meal Plans: Open Posting”
Knowing that’s there’s a petition going around to revert back to the way dining was, students do not like this at all. KU will hurt from this change.
I think that the cafeterias (Cub Cafe and South DH) will be insanely crowded during any mealtimes, and therefore there will have to be so much more planning on students’ parts to just get a simple meal. Also, sit down dining isn’t always an option for students with full or odd schedules. During free hour on Tues and Thurs, EVERYONE and their mother is getting lunch, so having to stand in line for more than an hour in a crowded cafeteria is kind of ridiculous.
More options to take food and eat elsewhere. It’s difficult getting through the sub now with the Cub Cafe being cut off. The entrance/exit is now only on one side of the building and it makes getting through inconvenient.
If you pack a lunch there’s nowhere to sit down and eat. Most of the seating space is taken up by students, which is fine, however it leaves very little space to sit and eat otherwise since the entirety of the old space is taken up by the new Cub Cafe. It just seems like the Cub wasn’t very well though out in terms of how it would affect the building.
While there is plenty of virtue (not to mention bragging rights) that come along with having one of the first all-you-can-eat dining plans in the state, it is important to consider the needs of Kutztown’s most involved students. A number of students have taken on schedules that go back-to-back, nearly all day, meaning the largest span of time they have to grab food in is about ten minutes. For such students, a standard sit-down meal simply isn’t an option. Options like those provided last year at the South Dining Hall’s lower level are paramount to students who need to grab food quickly, then make their way to another class.
On top of this, there is a very polarizing nature to such food plans. With the cost they come at, one no longer feels that he or she is being cost-effective by getting a meal plan to supplement his or her off-campus meals. For commuters, this makes the new meal plan almost non-viable.
Ideally, students should be given a broader range of meal options. Commuters should be able to buy a meal plan with a set number of meals to supplement them, while on-campus students should have the opportunity to take advantage of the 24-7 dining plans.
In short, the new dining plans make returning and off-campus students feel cheated. There were a plethora of options with the old meal swipe plans, and students didn’t feel pressured to constantly return to dining halls to get their money’s worth.
This system in general is not right. Students who eat less and/or are vegetarian pay the same as those who eat more and eat meat, which is obviously more costly. It’s outrageous that commuters and non-card holders have to pay more for the same food. Many students don’t have time to sit down and eat anyway. This really needs to be reworked for equity, efficiency and to meet the students’ needs.
I feel as though that there are benefits between the both. However, there is a distinct lack of convienience for students on the go. I feel as though a compromise between the two meal plans could be beneficial.
I would like to see the new meal plan allow meal swipes to be used at the academic forum. Students do not always have the time to sit down for a meal and they also cannot afford to buy food outside of what their meal plan covers.
Also, not having a place included in meal swipes where food can be taken to go will be very detrimental to the health of KU students. The sad reality is that if our options are to wait in line for a half hour, eat a candy bar, or don’t eat at all, most students will choose the unhealthy option or nothing at all.
Something definitely needs to be done with the meal plans.
I will not be buying a meal plan for the rest of my time at KU due to the changes. The fact that I will have to wait over an hour in line for a meal, when I have about ten minutes between my classes, is unacceptable. Those who implemented these changes did not consider the students needs at all. They were looking at the bottom line, and the publicity that these changes would bring.
Class of 2004….If I was forced to sit down and eat my meals, I would never have completed my course work, especially when taking studio classes and as a student athlete. I cannot understand why KU would challenge students’ flexibility of eating what they want, where and when it is convenient. This would type of policy have seriously impacted my ability to succeed as a KU student.
The line for the Cub Cafe is always way too long and with this change it will be worse. This will be the only place students can eat during the day because we have no time to walk all the way to South Dining Hall. We won’t be able to have time to sit down and eat so students will have to go hungry. Students have a greater chance of being late to class, everyone will be grumpy and hungry, and professors will wonder why all their students are miserable. KU Dining should think about the benefits of the students instead of thinking about no one but themselves.
While on student government board this issue was raised. I mentioned that we could provide some way to swipe out of the dining hall with a meal once a day. This would really help to alleviate the strenuous new measures put in place. If you can get a system where you allow students to swipe once a day to take food out that would help immensely. Trust the students to do the right thing and not take food out to share with their friends who don’t have meal plans. If the students fail the trust test, then you have reason to not allow them to take out their lunch. Otherwise, you are putting students at a disadvantage with time and not giving them a chance to prove they can be responsible young adults.
We’re not children; the vast majority of students are not going to leave with 20 lbs. of food. However, we should all be able to take food to go. I will have 3.5 hrs of class back to back on Mondays and Wednesdays. I guess I’m not going to eat breakfast. This plan is both encouraging unhealthy habits (gorging on food while you have the opportunity, since you won’t have many) and also forcing students to spend more money out of pocket or starve. For a meal plan at almost double the price, you’d think we could have grab and go options at least once per day, but I guess KU only cares about money and prestige. They’ll understand when people begin fainting in class due to low blood sugar and someone inevitably sues the school.