CAS Drops Ultimate Flex Meal Plan for Fall 2017

Students campus-wide will be feeling the effects of various changes being made by Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS) in the fall of the 2017-2018 academic year.

Student Association CAS Board Student Representative Danielle Franklin explained that a large portion of the changes being overseen by CAS deal with student meal plans.

“The changes in our meal plans for next semester are pretty significant; there will only be three meal plans as of Fall 2017 and each meal plan will be priced the same amount of  $2,200,” she said.

The Carte Blanche meal plan is the only existing meal plan that will be an option for the upcoming semester paving the way for the creation of two new plans and granting students an additional 50 dining dollars more than has been offered in the past. In place of the Ultimate Flex plan that currently offers students $2,200, there will be a three meal week plan. Along with the three swipes redeemable at Hasbrouck Dining Hall, students will have $1,500 at their disposal. 

The elimination of the Ultimate Flex plan is thought to be a means of making sure students don’t lose out on dining dollars they already paid for at the end of the semester, according to Franklin.

Rather than the previous meal plans offering seven or 12 swipes a week at Hasbrouck Dining Hall, the board has introduced a 10 swipe meal plan. This meal plan is being offered to accommodate students who find seven swipes to be not enough and 12 to be too many to get through a week. 

All of the meal plans will include three guest swipes per semester.

When discussing the topic of the changes being made next year, many students were displeased but understood the thought process behind it.

First-year Jaclyn Herer, said that while she had been originally looking forward to having a more lenient meal plan, she recognizes the burden that comes along with managing so much money.

“I was really looking forward to having $2,000 to spend on my own so I could go to Starbucks and actually get real food,” she said. “But I get it. Upperclassmen are constantly trying to spend their money because if you don’t use it, you lose it.”

Regarding student representation on CAS Board, the composition of who has a voice will also see adjustments in the Fall. 

Currently, the student representation of the board is made up of three seats designated to Student Association members and two seats designated to Residence Hall Student Association (RHSA). Beginning next semester, Student Association’s seat count will be brought down to two.

Student Association CAS Board Student Representative Michael Tierney expressed his disappointment, arguing that  abundant student representation on such a board is of paramount importance.

“It would force CAS to take our concerns about meal plans into serious consideration, keep pressure on CAS to purchase more sustainable food and push for better food,” Tierney said.

Tierney believes that rather than cutting a position of student representation, the board could have added one RHSA representative to keep things equal.

Editor’s Note: Madalyn Alfonso contributed reporting to this article.