Meal plans 'inconvenient'

Originally published: Nov. 11, 2010
Publication: THE GLOBE

Samantha Taylor feels that the current meal plan situation is "inconvenient" because of the limits placed on the meals.

Erin Zarisnak thinks that Point Park University should take advantage of local, outside food vendors.

Student concerns about the meal plans and vendors were the topic of discussion at the most recent United Student Government (USG) meeting.

According to Point Park website, 14 meals per week with 200 Flex dollars is $2,480 per semester. Ten meals per week with 275 Flex dollars costs $2,310 a semester.  Conestoga and Pioneer residents can purchase a 75-block meal plan with 125 Flex dollars for $860 per semester, a 30-block meal plan with 175 Flex dollars for $510 per semester, or $400 worth of Flex dollars. Residents of the Boulevard Apartments are not required to purchase a meal plan.


USG members met with Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations Bridget Mancosh at the Monday night meeting to discuss additional options for the campus meals.

School of Arts and Sciences representative Anthony Costulas suggested that the number of meals per week could remain the same, but multiple meals could be used at once. USG President Michael Potoczny pointed out that the University of Pittsburgh does the same.

"A lot of times we don't have time to get food during those specific time slots where you can get meals in the cafeteria, or the meal exchanges [in the Cafe]. That's why I always found Flex dollars to be better," said Taylor, a senior dance major.

Zarisnak, an auditioning musical theater sophomore, felt the meal plans could use improvement.

"The meal plans, in general, are so expensive. My roommates and I live in Pioneer [Hall] and we signed up for the 30-meal block, and we're already out. So we had to ask for another meal, and we got the 10 meals. It cost us all $1,200, and we only have, what- three or four weeks left in the semester?" Zarisnak said. "Stuff like that should at least carry over because of all the money we spent."

Another idea that was brought up was the addition of outside food vendors. Mancosh said there is an upcoming meeting to discuss the technology that would be needed to allow students to use Flex dollars at outside vendors, but wanted to know what USG members thought about discounts.

"It's all cash in the long run," Mancosh said at the meeting.

The idea of discounts had members split.

Vice President Cassidy Adkins pointed out that she was, "low on cash, but I still have my meal plans."

Costulas, however, felt differently.

"I do feel students have more to gain from discounts," he said at the meeting. He also stated that discounts should not be based on whether or not students have a meal plan but on the fact that they are students.

"In my current situation, I don't have a meal plan or anything like that. [A] discount would certainly benefit me. But if I … still [had] the meal plan, just being able to use meal exchanges or something for other [vendors] would be very helpful," Taylor said.

Zarisnak felt differently.

"That's money we've already given to the school to get money for food, and if we were able to use that at outside vendors, it would be ten times easier if we were really busy and didn't have time to come back on campus and eat. I think it would be much easier for everybody," Zarisnak said.

If the ability to use Flex dollars at outside vendors was instituted, Mancosh said at the meeting that the additional cost "would be on top of" the current prices, and that it would be like a second set of Flex dollars.

USG members will meet with Mancosh again at a later date to discuss the progress of these concepts.

"Our next step will be [to] follow up with both Bridget and Rebecca Beyer regarding the food service on campus. In the meantime, we will also be investigating which outside food vendors students prefer,"  said Meagan Stroud, a member of the student concerns committee, in an e-mail interview.

Both Mancosh and USG members felt that the meeting was beneficial.

"Overall, I felt the discussion was very positive and informative.  I plan to explore the ideas presented," Mancosh said in an e-mail interview.

Potoczny believes that she will look into these ideas.

"Bridget is really receptive to student opinions and she was at a meeting last year, too, and some of the stuff we brought up, she fixed. I have confidence that she takes our opinions seriously…," he said. "Hopefully she'll work with us [on] all of these different concerns for the future."

Potocnzy is optimistic about the possible results of the Monday's discussion.

"I think the future's bright. I don't really see anything negative that came out of this meeting," he said.

Meal plans 'inconvenient'