Students react to meal plan price increases    

Returning students may have noticed some changes when buying their meal plan for this semester. Students are now limited to three options, whereas previously, we had to budget our meal swipes per semester. This came with the benefit of having more control over the amount of meal swipes and dining dollars in your account. Now, some think it to be much more limited, so are these three new options even a benefit to students? 

What do returning students think about these changes? When asked about the available options, the overall opinion was negative. Most have said that the new all access 7 is too expensive and the 5 day access is too limiting. Several students have also already spent most of the 100 dining dollars offered by the two all access plans. Some other complaints have been the fact that a lot of students never used all their meal swipes and now they have lost the option to purchase a smaller meal plan.

Losing to-go meals from Captains Landing, Smaller meal plan and dining dollar options, and a set number of meal swipes. It was a very noticeable difference from last year. Some find the new meal plan all access options to be convenient. However, some also find the loss of to-go meals to be unnecessary and directly limiting to how students choose to enjoy their food.

Why is this even happening? Two of the managerial staff members were interviewed and requested to stay anonymous, we learned that the Galveston campus merged contracts with the dining at College Station over the Summer. This means that all dining options, prices, and services now match the main campus. This includes the removal of to-go meals from the dining hall, as well as an increase in prices for meals paid directly. 

Through this interview, we were informed of the many benefits to students that resulted from this merger. First, the most expensive plan is now over $400 cheaper than in previous years. Another major benefit is that the plans can now be used seamlessly at the dining halls in College Station. This is great for all Access 7 students who visit the main campus frequently. The most notable benefit is that dining dollars don't expire after the spring semester and roll over between semesters and campuses! In fact, they will stay on your account as long as you are a student at TAMU. Also, some may not know that dining dollars can also be added through the Dine On Campus website.

In the interview with dining management, as a result of this new meal plan, they stated that they have been able to double on-campus events this year, as well as, starting the "First Year Eats" program at TAMUG to help new students battle hunger and food insecurity. Although some students see the limited pricing options to be negative, we find these changes to on-campus dining very exciting, and believe there may be many overlooked benefits for many students.