Students Frustrated Following Campus Dining Changes

Controversial changes to meal plan minimums and to-go options generate backlash.

Dining services made a number of changes to the dining experience for the new academic year. The Marketplace eating area has been expanded; compostable to-go boxes have been replaced with reusable containers; and, most controversially, the minimum meal plan was increased from as low as 7 meals per week to a new requirement of 15 meals each week.

Traditionally, W&L freshmen have been required to purchase a dining plan providing 24 meal swipes per week. After that, independent students could opt for as few as 7 meals per week, as could sorority members who did not live in a sorority house.

Those living in their sorority house were required to purchase 15 meals per week. Fraternity members, whether living in their house or elsewhere, could opt for 2 meals per week, along with their 10 house meals.

The new changes require all students, even those living off campus, to purchase a minimum of 15 meals per week per semester.

According to W&L’s Director of Auxiliary Services, K.C. Shaefer, the increase comes as university officials felt that the “meal plan threshold… really felt inadequate to cover most students’ needs,” among other reasons.

“W&L is a rigorous institution. It's a tough place to go to school. We have students who would want to be active in the classroom, outside the classroom, on the athletic field and extracurriculars. And we were finding many times that … students were oftentimes falling short in their meal needs,” Schaefer told The Spectator in an interview.

University administrators found that, given their busy schedules, students were usually unable to make up for the shortfall by cooking for themselves. “When the rubber hit the road, they weren’t really often successful at that,” Schaefer said.

Another goal was to foster an increased sense of community by encouraging on-campus interactions. “Communal dining,” Schaefer said, “is absolutely a place where those social connections happen and where people come together in our dining venues.”

Schaefer emphasized that the changes were not driven by the university’s financial needs.

However, many students expressed frustration at the increased minimum meal requirement and sought exemptions given their dietary, medical, religious, or financial needs.

“I am hoping that I can change my swipe from 15 to 5 without the additional fees because I cannot afford 15 swipes anymore because of a drastic change in my parents’ finances,” wrote one student, who requested to remain anonymous, in an email exchange with dining services.

The student’s exemption request was denied because the university is “not able to provide a reduction in the meal plan requirement based on financial need,” according to the email response that the student received from dining services.

Another student wanted an exemption to better practice his religion. “My roommates and I were planning to use dinners in our apartment as an opportunity to pray together,” he said in a statement, adding that “with more [meals], we wouldn’t be able to have dinners in our apartment” without wasting food and money.

“Additionally, Christians are commanded to fast throughout the year, and so my roommates and I did not intend to eat 15 meals per week at certain times,” the student said.

The student was denied the religious exemption in a meeting with Tamara Futrell, Dean for Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement.

“The policy was completely unfair, not only for me, but for other students as well, especially those with unique religious beliefs or cultural backgrounds,” the student said. “Everyone I talk to about this issue has not only agreed with my stance but expressed personal disdain with the policy.”

Schaefer told The Spectator that no religious exemptions had been granted, to his knowledge. In an email, The Spectator asked Futrell whether she had granted any such exemptions, but she did not respond as of this printing.

But some students met with more success when requesting an exemption.

One such student requested an exemption on dietary grounds. Her exemption was granted after Clark Simcoe — then the university’s dietician — conducted a review of her “medical history and needs, living situation, cooking ability, and more,” according to emails reviewed by The Spectator.

The student was ultimately approved for a reduction to a 10 meal-per-week plan rather than the 5 meal plan originally requested.

“It is better to have a few extra swipes at the end of the week than not having enough swipes when things get too busy to grocery shop or cook,” Simcoe said in an email to the student.

In addition to the new meal plan requirements, new policies regarding to-go boxes have also been implemented.

Students must create a free account at ReusePass, where they will be given a QR code that they can use to “check out” reusable containers. These containers must be returned to the ReusePass bin at the entrance of The Marketplace within 10 days or face a $10 fee.

To-go bowls, which are frequently used for yogurt, soup, oatmeal, cereal, and ice cream, have been completely removed. Likewise, disposable cups used for coffee and other beverages are no longer available.

According to Shaefer, the compostable containers cost around $100,000 per annum, while the new box system only costs around $10,000 each year. The cost of the new system was a fraction of the previous total, said Shaefer.

The W&L website explains that the reusable containers were also implemented because they are more environmentally friendly. “We use thousands of to-go containers on campus every year, and even when compostable, single-use containers have a significant environmental impact because of the energy, water and material resources used to make them,” the website states.

In addition to the meal plan and to-go boxes changes, The Marketplace, campus’s main dining hall, was expanded. According to Schaefer, the reason for the expansion was “better flow throughout and better seating capacity.”