Nearly two years after a "new and improved" freshman meal plan was introduced, some freshmen are still calling for Dining Services to change its policies. Many cringe at the price of the "premium" plan and lament its lack of options.
Dining Services, however, says the premium plan is necessary to provide a financial base to offset the cost of maintaining two dining halls and their extensive food offerings.
All freshmen are required to purchase Dining Services' premium plan, which gives unlimited meals and ten guest meals at campus dining halls for $1,950 per semester. Sophomores and upperclassmen can choose from a variety of other meal plans, which combine dining hall meals and points. The cheapest sophomore plan, however, which features 160 meals and $525 worth of points is only $130 less than the freshman plan. Points can be used at different campus eateries, such as the Commons and Brown & Brew.
Complaints about the meal plan are heard every year. "It's wrong that they force us to go with their plan. It's a lot of money and I don't eat that many meals there," freshman Dori Hirsch said.
Dining Services Director Patti Lee Klos emphasized the importance of eating at the dining halls from a social perspective. Freshmen and sophomores eat in the dining halls most often, because they are required to live on campus. Though she admitted the plan is expensive, Tufts is "in the upper echelon as a university," academically and cost-wise Klos said. "It's important to the living, learning experience."
Though the freshman plan is almost entirely composed of meals, freshmen can purchase food from Hodgdon in exchange for one meal. Upperclassmen can use their meal plans to purchase food at various campus eateries and from some off-campus restaurants.
The meal plan is based on what the average student eats, 14 meals per week. "If you eat more than that you're coming out ahead," Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senator Josh Belkin said.
The fact that freshmen must use on-campus dining facilities gives Dining Services a solid base of customers. Since upperclassmen use the dining halls less frequently, Dining Services relies on freshmen to consistently visit the dining halls.
Many also say that pushing freshmen to eat in dining halls promotes a sense of community and helps them make friends by having them congregate in a few areas.
The Senate has worked to address the concerns. "We hear about it a lot, but it will be one of the hardest things to change due to the financial issues," Belkin said. In the past the Senate worked to change the plan for sophomores so that now they have 525 points and 160 meals.
"A lot of freshmen like to buy their own food or go out to eat [but Dining Services] makes their money from the freshman meal plan," former sophomore Senator Pritesh Gandhi said. He brought the issue up the to the Senate before Spring Break, but dining services was not receptive because of the financial realities.
"In order to keep two dining halls, they need the money that the plan generates," Gandhi said.
"I like the food at Tufts," freshman Allon Bloch said. "It's at least as good as other schools I visited."
Nevertheless it is not possible to please everyone. Some freshmen complain about the quality of dining hall food, in addition to the meal plans.
"It's excessively obscene. Brown rice, carrots, cereal, and yogurt is the only stuff at Dewick that doesn't make me sick," freshman Joe Gulezian said. While rumors may fly about the presence of laxatives in the food, others point out how much worse the food is at other schools.
Dining Services constantly evaluates what students think of the food by offering surveys and comment boards. "We constantly add new things, new menu items based on input," Klos said. Based on how much food is consumed and the input received, students are relatively happy with Tufts dining according to Klos.
Some students on special diets say the meal plan does not cater to their needs.
"My meal costs the cafeteria much less. Lettuce is really cheap so I end up paying much more," vegetarian freshman Steven Lloyd said.
But not everyone is complaining. Freshman Noah Yuan-Vogel is a vegan and he says, "I don't feel like I got gypped at all. As a vegan, I think there's often more selection for me at Dewick than there would be at any restaurant and certainly more selection than I could cook for myself."
