Georgetown’s Dining and Auxiliary Services is considering a possible expansion of the meal plan requirement to juniors in an effort to accommodate additional students living on campus. Flex Dollar-based options and the growth of the kosher and halal pilot program are also on the table for discussion, according to Joelle Wiese, associate vice president of Auxiliary Business Services.
“With the few extra hundred [385] beds that are coming,” she said, Dining and Auxiliary Services are “all in discussion, trying to look at how to best meet the needs of the students.” A possible solution could include a third-year meal plan requirement.
“We’ve had three discussions on it, but we haven’t done any financial modeling yet, we’re just pulling research from other colleges in the area,” Wiese said. She cited a potential Flex-only meal plan as a money-saving opportunity for students, as Flex Dollars are tax-free, but stressed that the plans were “really in the early stage.”
GUSA is “strongly opposed to the addition of a new requirement,” according to GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ‘15). “A third-year requirement would be a very bad decision for the university to make, for several reasons, the first and foremost being capacity,” he said. “Leo’s right now doesn’t have the capacity to meet the needs of the students it currently requires to purchase meal plans.”
“Additionally, a third year requirement brings up very serious socioeconomic concerns, because it is, in effect, a tuition increase on students,” Tezel said. “Some [students] are dependent on not having a meal plan in order to make ends meet and make sure they continue to be fed … If you are requiring them to frequent chain businesses, you are thereby saying to that Hoya, ‘No, you can’t be in charge of your own decisions and budget your own food costs, you have to pay this extra amount of money, and there’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it.’”
In addition to considering adding the new requirement, Wiese said that the university is focused on “adding more value” to existing dining options. This includes the addition of Hilltoss and Bulldog Tavern with the opening of the Healey Family Student Center, as well as the expansion of hot options at the Leavey Center Grab and Go location. Going forward, Wiese said that increasing value also includes looking at meal exchanges in Hoya Court, which would increase options for meal plan users.
Other changes could include the addition of halal meals to Leo’s to supplement the pilot kosher program that was launched this year. Currently, sandwiches and microwaveable meal options are available by request, catered by certified kosher vendor Wrap2Go. The company, owned by Georgetown alumnus Azik Schwechter (Ph.D. ‘06), is in the process of becoming halal certified, and would then be considered to cater halal meals in Leo’s as well. Additionally, Elevation Burger, which already serves several halal-certified meals, is also working on expanding those options. Students with kosher and halal dietary restrictions are currently able to request an exemption and opt out of meal plan requirements.
In a press release sent late Wednesday night, Tezel and GUSA Vice President Omika Jikaria (SFS ‘15) critiqued Leo’s ability to accommodate even more dining needs. “Leo O’Donovan Hall is not in a position to take on more students,” they wrote. “It is already plagued with long lines, insufficient amount of seating and silverware, and there are serious concerns about exceeding capacity under the fire code.”
While the third-year meal plan requirement would occur simultaneously with the new third-year housing requirement, Tezel argues there is a significant difference. “There’s nothing in the campus plan that says, ‘You need to create a third year requirement for dining.’ This is purely so that the university can gather more for its revenue stream. And we don’t think this is the best way to go about doing that,” Tezel said.
Additional reporting by James Constant.
Photo by Megan Howell
