Students living on campus are noticing more restrictions in the way Chartwells, the U’s contracted food supplier, regulates meal plans.
Residents with meal plans are allowed to transfer one meal per day to the Union Food Court or the Heritage Center’s C-Store. The changes mark a return to Chartwells’ transfer meal policy prior to last spring, when students were able to pick any set of items at either location costing up to $5.50.
Now, students who eat at the C-Store can only use their transfer meal to buy items from a set menu, with most meals costing below the allotted transfer price.
The new menu changes require students to select from a sandwich or salad, a bag of chips, a piece of fruit or a cookie and a drink. The Food Court still allows students to spend their transfer money as they choose.
Alex Steele, a junior in mass communication, said he preferred having the option to spend $5.50 at the C-Store.
“(Chartwells) isn’t happy until everyone else isn’t,” Steele said.
Chartwells officials have not responded to requests for comment.
Depending on which meal plan they choose, students spend between just under $5 per meal and almost $9 per meal at the Chartwells-operated Heritage Center in the Residence Halls.
Michelle Milazzo, a sophomore in elementary education, wishes she had kept her old meal plan.
Milazzo decided to switch her meal plan so she could use transfer meals after being dissatisfied with the flex dollars program. Milazzo planned on using her transfer meals to buy essentials such as laundry detergent or toothpaste.
“I would rather not be required to have a meal plan at all,” Milazzo said. “Not having one, unfortunately, is not a meal plan option.”
