Late meal policy irks students

Many students say they believe the University is unnecessarily squeezing students' wallets with its strict policies on late meals.

Though administrators hoped the Frist Campus Center would become a focal point of undergraduate life, underclassmen — all of whom must purchase Department of Dining Services meal plans — are forced to pay out of pocket to eat meals at Frist during normal breakfast, lunch and dinner hours.

Students may transfer their dining contract meals to purchase food at Frist only during special "late meal hours" — from 9:45 to 11:05 a.m. for breakfast, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. for lunch and 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. for dinner. At all other times, students must use DDS points — each point is worth $1 — or charge the meal to their student account.

Jon Kieliszak '04 said he eats in Frist about three times per week, spending between $5 and $10 on each meal. "I think you should be able to go [to Frist] instead of the dining hall if you want," he said.

John Park '04 said, "I eat [at Frist] all the time. I live here." Though he uses late meals most of the time, Park said "on the weekends I charge everything." For about $7 per meal, Park will have spent hundreds of dollars on food by the end of the year, in addition to his pre-paid meal plan.

"I feel like I'm getting robbed," Park said, though he acknowledged that, for him, the convenience outweighs the cost.

USG treasurer Michael Kimberly '03 said the USG is currently taking a look at DDS policies.

"Many of the complaints that the USG receives are related to DDS, largely with the late meal program — including difficulties with the timing and how there's the half-hour gap between the regular meal plan and the late meal," he said.

Kimberly was among an "informal" USG group which met with Director of Dining Services Stu Orefice several weeks ago. Kimberly said they discussed several issues, including the dollar equivalents of DDS meals when used at Frist and the half-hour delay between the end of regular meal hours and the start of late meal hours.

Meals appear to be worth significantly less when used at Frist, Kimberly said, because DDS must pay for the labor in the dining halls whether all students eat there or not. He added that Orefice will consider moving the late meal hours 15 minutes earlier to lessen the inconvenience.

Orefice was not available for comment yesterday.

Some students have suggested using only a points-based meal system, Kimberly said. Under such a system, students might end up eating more in Frist than at their residential colleges. This could put an extra, perhaps unmanageable, burden on the Frist cafeteria and make the dining halls obsolete. In all probability "an all-point system is not feasible," Kimberly said.

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Park said having more meal options in Frist would be convenient because most students' classes are closer to Frist than to the residential colleges.

Luke Harris '04 said it is sometimes impossible for him to eat lunch at a dining hall during regular lunch hours. "Today . . . I only have half an hour between classes, and I need to eat," he said.

Harris added he believes that prices at Frist are too high. "I think they overcharge," he said.

The common notion that Frist prices are artificially high may not be a legitimate concern, according to some students. "It is comparable to anywhere on Nassau Street," said Andrea Kodys GS while eating lunch at Frist yesterday.

The USG group will continue to look into the intricacies of DDS policies, and Kimberly said he will be attending a dining committee meeting next month.

"With the sixth residential college, there will be a revamping of the college system . . . There's going to be a wide-open door for dining services reform," Kimberly said.