By Victoria Gladstone
Staff Writer
The College removed the Meal Equivalency program and unlimited swipes for meal plans at Eickhoff Hall at the beginning of the spring 2021 semester due to Covid-19 concerns. This has disappointed upperclassmen and left underclassmen in the dark about the previously offered dining options.
The College offered the Meal Equivalency program and unlimited swipes to students as a way to increase student dining at restaurants on campus besides The Atrium at Eickhoff Hall.
When asked about why the College made these cuts to popular campus dining, Executive Director for Auxiliary and Contract Services Karen Roth said it was due to reducing the amount of students eating at one time, therefore encouraging social distancing and smaller crowds. The College now only offers the Meals Per Week plan, an option used to cut down on possible Covid-19 exposures.
“As we transition back to a more traditional dining experience, the Meals Per Week Plans also provide for less crowding during the lunch period, accommodate for social distancing and shorter wait times, which reduces time spent in close proximity to others,” Roth said.
The Meal Equivalency program, also referred to as “Meal Equiv,” was offered to students who had purchased a meal plan and took place between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. During this time every day, students received a balance of $8.60 on their accounts, and were able to get an essentially free meal at restaurants including Traditions, The Lions Den, The Education Café and The Library Café.
Students on campus enjoyed the meal plan for several reasons, overall in that it made dining convenient and inexpensive. Fifth year special education major Jackie Kephart expressed her past experience with Meal Equivalency and the benefits she felt it brought.
“It was a nice way to have some variety and not always eat at Eick for all three meals. My friends and I enjoyed meeting up to get Meal Equiv at the Stud or at one of the cafés on campus. It was also convenient in between classes to get a quick lunch instead of going to Eick,” Kephart said.
The Unlimited Swipes option of The Atrium at Eickhoff Hall was a separate meal plan for students where they would have unlimited swipes after 11 a.m., while also being restricted to eat at Eickhoff Hall during the daily Meal Equivalency period.
Roth also said that the Meals Per Week plan will make dining more flexible for students.
“Students are enjoying the flexibility of being able to pay for only what they want, eat wherever they want and when they choose,” Roth said.
As far as how this has affected the College’s current eating areas, Roth says these changes have created improvement to students’ dining experiences.
“Rather than long lines, lunch business has spread throughout all campus locations and is less concentrated between 11:00 am and 1:30 pm resulting in reduced crowds and faster service,” Roth explained. “There is less crowding in all locations leading to better physical distance and ultimately a dining experience that is conscientious of Covid concerns.”
Many students at the College have been discussing how disappointing it is to lose these benefits, especially upperclassmen who had different meal options in the past. One such student is junior special education and history major Madison Haugh.
Haugh expressed her concerns with this change as she called to attention some of the possible negative impacts this could have on the College’s students.
“A lot of people took a hit financially because of Covid, so to take away something that made eating on campus more affordable is wrong,” she said.
Aside from the upperclassmen being dissatisfied about the lack of Meal Equivalency and unlimited swipes into Eick, sophomores and freshmen are still unaware of what these options really were.
Sophomore mechanical engineering major Ryan Rosenthal is a first time resident at the College who was unfamiliar with the older meal plans. But like the upperclassmen, Rosenthal said he would prefer the original, pre-Covid plan.
“I’m disappointed I missed the opportunity to have Meal Equiv because I know I would have used it a lot,” Rosenthal said.
Many of the students who were virtual during the past school year or are new to campus do not know about these previous benefits of dining services offered, making this development not as well known on campus. As of right now, there have not been any attempts to reverse these changes, and they will stay in place until further notice.
