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September 13, 2005
Meal plans altered: Sorin now open longer hours
New carpet, freshly-painted walls and card-access are not the only new things at Sorin this fall. Among the plethora of changes and improvements this year are longer hours for the cafeteria, as well as new and different meal plan options.
The new hours allow one to choose whenever you want to eat your meals, since Sorin is now open all day from 7:15 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
One can eat supper 3 p.m. Previously, such a meal was not available until 4:30 p.m.
Though the changes aim to provide more options to students as to where, what, and when they can eat, it also means that with each meal plan option the amount students have to pay for each plan has increased dramatically, by at least $140 in plans like the 10-, 14- or 19-meal plan. Last year, the 14 meal plan included $50 of DB per semester. This year, that plan offers the same amount of meals, but it comes with $225 in declining balance per semester.
The reason for this increase is that meal exchanges are now only available at Sorin, and at the HUB and the Klas center, only declining balance, cash and checks will be accepted. Previously, all three locations offered a meal plan meal equivalent, but that option has now been relegated only to Sorin.
Sharon Tracy, Director of Dining Services, has been working at Hamline for nine years and 25 years for Aramark. Tracy said the previous system with meal plan exchanges available in the Hub and the Klas center didn’t help Aramark to account accurately for every dollar spent. Tracy was informed of this by the company’s district manager. The Klas Center and the Hub were quite popular eating places last year, so it was a challenge to figure out a way for the meal plans adapt to Aramark’s new requirements.
Tracy said the solution was to “go back to the records of the previous year, 2003-2004, and set a cash equivalent” in declining balance that matched the amount of those meals not eaten at Sorin. Another proposed solution was to create new meal plans. The university has kept its 2 “commuter” plans: the 5-meal per week and the 100 Block. In addition, there are now five “residential” meal plans: the traditional
10-, 14- and 19-meal plans, as well as the 150 Block and the new 225 Block plans. In addition, juniors and seniors can opt for the 100 meal plan, an innovation aimed at retaining upperclassmen who live on campus.
Students can change their meal plan option anytime until September 16.
Posted by msveum at September 13, 2005 11:47 AM