Media Credit: www.emerson.edu Emerson´s main dining hall

11/29/04

One of the most important lessons students learn in college is not taught in class -- it is the art of taking responsibility for oneself. Even students living on campus are required to pass this important test, yet these students are required to have a prepaid meal plan that limits their choices of where, when and what to eat. Forcing students into a strict meal plan is like putting them into a playpen. Yes, meal plans can protect students from existing on Big Macs, doughnuts and other fast food staples, but it is inappropriate to deny adults -- yes, adults -- the opportunity to make decisions for themselves.

One problem with such strict meal plans is the price. Quite often it can be less expensive to eat out or prepare one's own meals than it is to eat in the college's dining hall. The two meal plans offered to students living on-campus at Emerson College cost $2,049 per semester. One of the two options offers 158 meals, 10 guest meals, and $350 "board bucks" that can be used at the diner, convenience stores, or dining hall. If one bothers to do the math, simple division shows that on average one meal costs about $10.11. This is a ridiculous price for a meal of the quantity and quality that students will most likely be eating. A slice of pizza, a grilled cheese sandwich, or a bowl of pasta may be all a student has in mind for a meal. Certainly these meals wouldn't be sold for $10.11 anywhere else.

Media Credit: www.emerson.edu Emerson´s on campus diner at Zero Marlboro St.

The other meal plan option offered to students provides 14 meals a week, $100 board bucks and 10 guest meals. It is expected that students will eat no more than two meals a day. Meals that are not used by the end of the week are lost. This ties students to the dining hall for every meal in order to get their money's worth. Students are denied the opportunity to explore the city's restaurants if signed up for this plan. If they do choose to eat out, or even to eat at the on-campus diner, they still pay for two meals: the one they do eat and the one they do not eat at the dining hall.

Some students also have dietary concerns when it comes to eating on campus. Although vegetarian options are always available on campus, balanced vegetarian and vegan diets are difficult to maintain when limited to only a few options. Students with food allergies and intolerances may also have trouble when eating on campus. Dairy-free products are available but in limited amounts. Students with peanut allergies may be at risk when eating in the dining hall, and students with gluten allergies might as well starve.

Compared to other colleges, Emerson's dining hall could be considered fine dining. Even some off-campus students choose to have a flexible meal plan, an option that is not offered to on-campus students. But despite the high quality of the college's dining services, tying students to the campus for nearly every meal throughout the year is not fair to the students. A more flexible meal plan option, such as one that offers fewer meals and more board bucks or a less expensive option similar to the one designed for off-campus students, would be much more appropriate. Many students will still choose one of the traditional options and take full advantage of the campus's dining hall, but at least they should be able make that decision for themselves.

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