After months of research, focus groups and coordination with the Undergraduate Assembly, Aramark, a private company that manages on-campus dining at Penn, is ready to introduce a handful of changes to the University's dining scene.
One of these changes is a loyalty-based program called Jam in which all students can participate for free.
The program rewards participating students with points for every dollar spent at a Penn-affiliated dining facility. Students can save these points and use them to purchase prizes or donate to charity.
Prizes include electronics, gift cards and sports equipment, while donations will be given to America's Second Harvest, an organization that attempts to relieve hunger in the United States.
Jennifer Brennan, an Aramark representative, said that about 100 Penn students have signed up for the program. She expects the participation level to increase significantly in the beginning of the semester when on-campus advertisement programs begin.
Based on surveys, Aramark believes that student interest in buying a meal plan will increase by about 40 percent when a loyalty program like Jam is offered.
College senior Melissa Lardo was intrigued by the idea.
"I wouldn't sign up for a meal plan, but I do shop at Houston and underneath the Commons, so I would sign up for the Jam program," she said.
The Jam program will also be offered at five other universities: East Carolina University, George Washington University, Grand Valley State University, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the University of South Florida.
Another change Aramark has planned for this fall involves the hours of operation for the major dining halls on campus.
Starting this fall, Hill House Dining Hall, King's Court/English House Dining Hall and 1920 Commons will all offer a limited selection of foods between the major meal times.
Staying open between meal times, instead of closing and reopening for each meal, "just gives [students] a lot more flexibility," Brennan said.
The express lunch at McClelland Hall, located in the Quadrangle, will also have extended hours starting this fall.
The meal plans themselves have also been altered slightly this year. Aramark has renamed the plans to better appeal to students.
New names for meal plans include the Quaker Plan and the Liberty Plan, and a number of plans are named after major Philadelphia streets.
An average of 15 percent more Dining Dollars have also been added to the majority of the plans because of student demand, according to company figures.
