After years of a la carte dining for University of Maryland students, UMD dining services is seriously considering a change. According to a Diamondback article, Dining Services is highly considering a switch from the current system of dining points, where students pay for each individual item purchased, to an “anytime-dining” plan, which would include unlimited meals and would not include any points system. This comes after reports that many students don’t have enough dining points to get them through the semester, along with a continued general dislike of the current system.
A huge issue that most students have with the current system is the price. On both North and South campus, a traditional dining plan costs $2,206.50 per semester for new-to-dining students, and $2,146.50 for returning students. North campus residents receive 14 meals at the all-you-can-eat 251 North, while South campus residents receive 4, due to 251 North being located on North Campus. But South campus residents are given 1205 resident points, while those on North campus receive 1075.
On a traditional plan, $2,206.50 gets students approximately 1075 resident points (to be used in dining halls), 342 resident bucks (to be used at the campus convenience stores like the 24 Shop and the Common Shop), and 14 residential meals (to be used at 251 North). There is a huge price disparity between what students are paying and what they are getting. The price value of a meal at 251 North is 18 resident points, bringing the actual meal plan value to about $1,669. This is about $500 short of the dining plan fee, and when 251 North meals are not factored in, this leaves students getting about $800 less than what they are paying.
While I know that facilities fees are necessary, these are pretty hefty fees, especially when students are so limited in the amount of food they can purchase over the course of the semester. With that much disparity between dining plan cost and amount of food received, UMD should be providing this anytime-dining, all-you-can-eat meal plan, and should have done so a long time ago.
Every college I visited while applying to schools provided all-you-can-eat meal plans and dining halls, and I do not know anyone attending another college or university where students pay a la carte. When I explain our dining system to people, no one seems to understand. For the amount that students are paying to attend UMD, and the amount we are paying for a dining plan, students should be able to eat whenever and however much they want. We should not have students paying this much per semester and still not have enough “points” to feed themselves.
While some might argue that some will take advantage of this system, there will also be those who do not utilize it as heavily. And if most other colleges and universities in the country have succeeded with this system, UMD can, too. I can only hope that dining services choose to put this system into effect and finally get UMD up to speed with modern-day college dining.
