Jeff Steele: Meal plan misery

 As curious college students, there comes a time when our inquisitive nature takes hold and we find ourselves rejecting the reality around us, allowing us to infer our own conclusions. This is otherwise known as the “WTF moment.” Through our semesters here at this lovely institution, surely you have found yourself questioning various phenomena that defy simple logic. No, this is not a reference to that time you miraculously finished your midterm paper on time. It is referring to our campus meal plan. One of my biggest personal quarrels with UW-L is its pact with Chartwells, the food provider for the university. The problem does not lie in cost, service, quality, or staff…but in simple access. 

TRANSFER TRAVESTY 

The logic behind these random hours that signify when we can satisfy our hunger have yet to be uncovered. When it comes to dining on campus, it is never a question of, “where do I WANT to eat?” It’s a question of, “where CAN I eat?” Chartwells frequently force-feeds information to convince students that they are dedicated to “student’s needs” and “convenience.” This is a grotesque misrepresentation. Students do not find it “convenient” to wait in lines exceeding 20 minutes. Students do not find it “convenient” to carry around a card that tells them what time they can eat. Students do not find it “convenient” that they cannot use the meal plan that they purchased to buy food when they’re hungry. 

Why we even have transfer hours is beyond comprehension. The only argument that has been presented is that they were implemented to accommodate the sudden influx of students at certain hours of the day. Are we being punked? If they simply eliminated transfer hours then they wouldn’t need to have extra staff on hand because there would be a more proportionate flow of students. Simple solution: compost the transfer hours. 

LET’S GO TO PRISON

The hours themselves are illogical and irrational. On weekends, the earliest time to get breakfast is at 10:30am (recently changed from 11am). By some standards, this is considered lunch. The absolute latest time a student can purchase a meal on campus is 10pm. 

So let me get this straight. Chartwells expects students living on campus not to eat for 13 hours straight? They actually feed prison inmates more frequently than that. Simple solution: have a place open 24-7.

V.I.P.S ONLY 

The Galley is an exceptional place to eat. Its sleek design, bravura vividness, and user-friendly kiosk style makes it aesthetically appealing. It is a compilation of Sandwich Central, Market Carvery, Terre Ve, The Fresh Grille, Garden Emporium, and Mex Press. There is only one minuscule problem. People with a meal plan can’t eat there. There are no transfer hours available for students with a meal plan at The Galley (excluding a small breakfast buffet from 8am-10am). That’s like saying, “well…we built the REC Center…but only juniors and seniors can use it. Everyone else has to go to Mitchell”. It doesn’t make sense. Unless you get a block plan or pay with cash, The Galley will always be an exclusive eating establishment just out reach. Simple solution: Open transfer hours to The Galley. 

“PLEASE SIR, I’D LIKE SOME MORE.”

Why are our meals being rationed? We paid for them and we should be able to use them when we want, where we want. That’s how the free market works. Yet places such as the Cartwright Center and Sub Shop only offer one or two transfer meals per day. Apparently small meals and snacks are off limits. Similar to the way camels store water, college students are forced to eat large quantities of food to stock up (hence the infamous freshman fifteen). 

The worst part is, these meals don’t even transfer over to the following week. They are simply deleted and probably become Christmas bonuses for Chartwell bigwig fat cats. Simple solution: Transfer at least three meals a day at Cartwright and Whitney.

Avoiding lines comparable to collegiate moshpits has become the norm and our limited transferability is not suppressing our appetite for more freedom. Chartwells views our campus as a profitable business opportunity. We provide the funding that fuels their paychecks. We employ them. We should have the right to tell them what we want instead of following their profit-based authoritarian system.

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5 comments

Anonymous

Sun Apr 11 2010 16:00

This is an opinion article that didn't need to happen. Yes, Chartwell's has a history of not being the greatest food service provider of all time; however, students don't disprove of them high enough to complain at this level. In fact, I suggest you take a look at recent Quality of Life surveys given in the residence halls - over 60% of the student population on campus is satisfied. Fine, 60% isn't a great number, but it's been on the rise over the past few years because they are trying to make it work for us. Sharing complaints isn't going to improve anything - talking to the right people and coming up with reasonable solutions is the way to go.

Anonymous

Sun Apr 11 2010 00:09

"Chartwells frequently force-feeds information to convince students that they are dedicated to “student’s needs” and “convenience.” This is a grotesque misrepresentation"

For making these kinds of remarks, there is not an iota of evidence or research in this story to back up any of these claims. This story is irresponsible/reckless.

LogicSpock

Fri Apr 9 2010 10:22

Anonymous's argument is convincing. I've worked in the food service biz for a while, and I study biz, so I know there are logical explanations to be had. Students could benefit from learning about how Chartwell's is a business, not a charity. No one is helped if Chartwell's started losing money.

Ann

Fri Apr 9 2010 10:03

I think a lot of students on campus agree with you, Jeff!

Anonymous

Thu Apr 8 2010 22:05

Wow Steele, you sure put a lot of effort and research into this one. If you spent maybe ten minutes asking around, you would find many reasons that there cannot be open transferability. Instead, you based your article on assumptions. The line "They are simply deleted and probably become Christmas bonuses for Chartwell bigwig fat cats" just goes to prove this. You simply gripe about not being able to eat everywhere because you want to write about something everyone complains about. Your ideas aren't anything new. Every student from one time to another has come up with these simple solutions to these problems. If the situation really was that simple, then it would have been fixed by now. One of the main reasons why The Galley isn't open for transfer is because of the high volume of cash transactions there per day. Plus, many students on block meal plans eat there. Chartwells doesn't want to lose these real cash sales because people have to wait in line because of the flood of transfer meals.

Also, just last year Chartwells drafted up new meal plan options for students. Of these plans, one was a hybrid that included block meal plans and transfer meals. A student would get a certain amount of block meals for the year, and then transfer meals like normal. Students ultimately voted this down because the plan was unclear and because the costs for the plans changed to be more expensive in the last minute. Even though the meal plans didn't go through, it still shows Chartwells' attempts to work with the student body.

Now to address your 'have a place to eat 24-7'. If Chartwells were to have a place to eat open all the time, they would need people to staff these new hours. This would most certainly result in high costs for meal plans, or the elimination of other dining places. Chartwells works on a give-and-take system. They are willing to be flexible with students. If students want a place to be open for longer, they are fine with that, as long as the students are willing to accept that a different place will have its hours cut. Chartwells is not a charity; they are a business.

Now, for the last line of your viewpoint. Every student has the right to tell Chartwells what they want. That right is never denied in any way. There are open meetings that any student may attend. These dining services meetings are held frequently and are attended by the Chartwells manager for UW La Crosse, Tom Dockham.

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