U. revises policies on Greek meal plans

Last year, many Greeks living in fraternity and sorority houses that did not offer meal plans found themselves in a bind. If they wanted to eat Dining Services meals, they were required to purchase a meal plan that included dinners -- even if they only wanted to eat lunches on campus. So this year, Dining Services changed its meal plan policies to give Greeks more options, potentially saving them the $564 price difference between the lunch and dinner plans. Before the policy change, fraternity and sorority members were not allowed to purchase Dining Services' breakfast or lunch plans unless they had a five-meal dinner plan at their houses. Instead, they were required to buy the "Any Five Meals" plan if they wanted to eat on campus, which charged them dinner prices no matter what meals they chose to eat. Now Greeks who live in fraternity and sorority houses can purchase five- or 10-meal breakfast and/or lunch plans, instead of those that include dinner, according to Adam Sherr, meal contract coordinator for Dining Services. The breakfast/lunch options are considered "commuter plans" and were previously only available to students living off-campus and to juniors and seniors living in the high rises. "The [original] policy was made with the best intentions," Sherr said. "We didn't want to treat the Greeks differently from people living next door in non-Greek houses, who could purchase the breakfast and lunch plans." The change in policy came after members of the Greek system requested a review of last year's situation. "We ascertained that the current system was not totally fair," Sherr said. Delta Tau Delta brother and College junior Jason Freedman said last year's plan was "totally ridiculous." "The University put a monopoly on dining last year," he said. "The University shouldn't be dictating what meals I could eat [in University dining halls]. This change definitely opens up a lot more possibilities." Sigma Alpha Mu President and College senior A.B. Fisher said he welcomes the additional options, especially given the high cost of University meal plans overall. "It's about time the University is doing something to save Greeks some money," Fisher said. The policy is also applicable to full-time fraternity and sorority members living in on-campus residences who have a five-dinner plan with their houses. These Greeks must bring a letter to the Dining Services office stating they have the required contracts with their fraternity or sorority houses. If the house does not offer the five-dinner plan, the student may not enroll for Dining's commuter plans.