Christina VarvisLister residents will have to pay $1,000 more for their meal plans in 2017 if a proposal to change to an all-you-can-eat system is approved.
The proposal involved changing the current options of $3,783 or $4,554 prepaid meal plans to one $4,650 all-you-can-eat plan. The price increase has students concerned, Francesca Ghossein, Students’ Union Vice-President (Student Life), said. If approved, the new meal plan will be implemented in 2017-18.
“My priority is that the meal plan is convenient for students in Lister and that’s something we’re going to hear about soon,” she said. “We’re going to get a comprehensive overview of what (students) thought.”
The proposal is identical to the one made by Residence Services last year, which was halted after a survey by the Students’ Union showed that students were largely opposed to the plan.
The new meal plan would restrict students to eating in Lister and, once it opens in 2017, the Peter Lougheed Leadership College, and would give students the option of paying $300 on top of the flat rate to spend on other campus locations. Ghossein said students are concerned that $300 isn’t enough. Under the current meal plan, Lister residents can spend whatever amount of their plan they want at Aramark location on campus, including vendors in SUB and CAB.
The new meal plan will introduce a system for residents to order lunch boxes from the Lister dining hall to take to class. Sit-down meals, however, won’t be permitted outside the dining hall — currently, students can take meals back to their rooms.
Dolores March, the university’s Director of Hospitality Services, said student feedback, obtained from two town halls and an online form, has been positive.
“When we did the town halls, the students that did see it actually did feel that it was a great program,” she said.
March said about six new stations will be added to the Lister cafeteria’s four, some of which will provide more options for students with dietary restrictions. The dining hall’s hours, currently held from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekends, will be expanded to 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekends. The new plan also promises better food quality, which Ghossein said students are hoping for.
Under the new plan, March also said changes are being considered for the Marina to become a pantry for students to order and cook food. The convenience store is currently composed of a Tim Hortons, Booster Juice, Pita Express, and Grille Works.
There will be further consultation with students about how much of the plan can be spent outside of Lister and the Peter Lougheed Leadership College, but March said that any money for spending outside dining halls would be charged on top of the $4,650 all-you-can-eat plan.
”It’s a program that’s based on variety, convenience, and unlimited eating,” she said. “You can come and go as you want.”
Students can find more information for the plan online.
