There was light shed on meal plan concerns to a group of about 50 students on Thursday night at the Resident Student Association meeting.
General manager of Sodexho Bill Sepkowski and business manager George Kuzma addressed the students with a brief explanation of the changes made to the meal plans and opened the floor to questions. Administrators were also present, including Dr. Richard Saterlee (VP for Student Life), Elaine T. White (Director of Student Development), Tom Ryan (VP for Finance) and Gabrielle Occhiogrosso (AC for East Hill and Jasper).
“The new meal plan has been designed to allow for more selection and flexibility,” Sepkowski said. “It has been in the process for a couple of years based on feedback from students, comment cards, and student survey responses.”
The new plan still allows meal swipes in Lockes; however, meal swipes are no longer accepted in Dantes, now open until midnight, and meal swipes are accepted up to $7.50 in Platos, open until 8.
Furthermore, additional ACD’s have been given for each meal plan, which now roll over from fall to spring semester, and new Jasper Dollars are given for use at six off campus establishments, including favorite Broadway Joes, with more to be added.
There is still the ultimate 15, 10 and 7 plan and traditional 19, as well as plus 15, 10 and 7 plans. The ultimate plan allows you to swipe more than once in a meal period while the plus plan is more structured. Additionally, there is an OV senior plan, with few swipes and much more ACD’s. All plans have Jasper Dollars and ACD’s.
“Now you get to have a plan that fits your dining habits and you can eat how you like,” Kuzma said.
Lack of Dantes meal swipes was a primary concern, taken away because Dantes had become more costly than Lockes or Platos, especially once renovated.
“I used to eat in Dantes everyday for lunch and sometimes dinner every week,” Alison Landy, RSA president, said. “Without meal swipes, I don’t have enough ACD’s to do that.”
“We’ve been forced up or down,” Kate McCaffrey, RSA secretary, added. “That’s not really flexibility.”
There were several problems with this change. First, there were technical issues with ACD’s being unavailable or swipes declined.
“As of today [Thursday], all ACD’s should be available and accounts should be credited for purchases made,” Kuzma said. “We have also decided to expedite the portion of self service that will allow students to check their balance.”
Lines in Lockes and Platos were also brought up. Tables in Lockes are scarce and junior Tim Corini said he waited 40 minutes for something from the grill station in Platos.
“It’s ridiculous that you have to allot an hour just to get food before class,” Corini said.
“We’re aware that Lockes is running out of seats while there are a hundred open in Dantes,” Sepkowski said. “We believe it’s an education issue and will be alleviated once students understand how the plans work.”
Something students may not know about the off campus jasper dollars is that there is a minimum. Broadway Joes, for example, requires a seven-dollar purchase.
“There should be no minimum,” Sepkowski said. “If students are saying there is, then we will definitely look into it.”
One student questioned bringing meal swipes back to Dantes.
“Look, we’re open to anything,” Sepkowski said. “But we don’t want to make everything more confusing and anything we do has to be a collective decision between Manhattan and Sodexho.”
One smaller issue voiced was the new warning on the pizza station in Lockes, stating that the recipe now may contain peanut oil. Sepkowski said that it was probably a precautionary measure, in case the oil had come into contact with any kind of peanut oil during the cooking process.
Secondly, the scoopers at the ice cream station, now self serve, are all placed in a bowl when not in use. The bowl water did not appear to be changed regularly. Sepkowski said that was only temporary, due to the regular self cleaning spigot being broken.
Tom Ryan, silent for most of the meeting, chimed in as it was closing. “We have made a few mistakes and we thank the students for their understanding. I would rather be criticized for trying something new to make things better than just collecting complaints.”
The last day for students to change their meal plans is September 17th. If there are any questions about the meal plans, students should email Bill Sepkowski at bill.sepkowski@sodexho.com
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