Last week, the Denison Dining Committee released a preliminary draft of a new meal plan for the Denison student body. The backlash from the proposal has been palpable, and for good reason.
First of all, the pricing for the meal plan has remained very inconsistent. Every year, the price has increased and plans have changed drastically just over the past year. This complicates personal budgeting and makes it difficult to judge how many meals we need a week and which plan to choose out of the many options.
Furthermore, many students are finally satisfied with the current plan. It is simple and understandable. Why fix it? According to the minutes from the Dining Committee’s meeting last week, around 160 students were running low on declining dollars at the end of November. This is an issue that needs to be addressed; it affects 8 percent of the Denison population.
Students should not have to worry about going hungry during finals or any time at school. But the fact is that it is unnecessary to drastically reconstruct the existing system that is presumably working for the other 92 percent. Perhaps students are being irresponsible with their money. Say no to the extra avocado. Or, maybe the only affordable plan for some was the West College plan, or another plan with an inadequate amount of declining dollars.
Please don’t bring back swipes. And if swipes must return, don’t give them an expiration date.
A specialized plan to help students in need should be considered and implemented rather than changing the structure for the third year in a row.