The Observer, March 18, 2005
Volume XXXVII, Issue 21
Meal plan goes gold
In addition to the many changes that will occur with residential life and new housing next semester, students may also be affected by the additions made in meal plan options. The new meal plan offered for the 2005-2006 academic year was created to provide students with more conveniences and dining options.
"We did not exactly change the meal plan," said Dennis Drew, accounting clerk for Campus Services. "Instead we added more options to it so students will be offered more choices with what they want to do with their money and where they want to eat."
The current plan offers students with four options that vary in the quantity of meals per week and the amount of dining points per semester.
The choices range from the "Flex 19" plan, which features 19 meals per week along with $75 in dining points per semester, to the "Flex 10" plan, which contains 10 meals per week and $250 in dining points. The 2004-2005 rates for the options range from $1432 to $1546 per semester.
For next semester, Case officials have decided to add a new "gold" option to the pre-existing meal plan package. The gold plan is similar in concept to the flex options that incorporate a certain number of meals per week in the dining halls with a number of dining points that can be used at on- or off-campus dining areas.
The additional selections range from the "Gold 19" plan, which features 19 meals per week along with $75 in CaseCash, to the "Gold 10" plan, which features 10 meals per week along with $250 of CaseCash.
Students are currently able to add CaseCash in $100, $200, or $300 denominations. CaseCash can not only work at the areas covered by the dining points, but is also accepted by various other locations on- and off-campus such as vending machines, the university bookstore, and at some University Circle stores and restaurants. CaseCash can also be carried over to each semester as well as the summer, and unused cash may be refundable.
"Essentially, the gold plan allows CaseCash to be a part of the meal plan so it can be used for dining points or other useful purposes," Drew said.
Students who choose this option will use CaseCash instead of dining points as a part of their meal plans. The CaseCash can be used at all the locations covered by dining points plus a number of non-dining locations on and off campus like the university book-store and Giant Eagle.
As opposed to the dining points, unused CaseCash will carry over from semester to semester and from year to year and is refundable at the end of the spring semester or upon leaving Case.
Though the gold plan gives students a more diverse way of spending the money included their meal plan, it is more costly than the regular flex plan. The 2005-2006 rates for the flex plan range from $1575 to $1701 per semester; the rates for the gold plan range from $1625 to $1726 per semester.
With any meal plan, students are still able to place additional CaseCash in $1000, $750, $500, or $250 per semester denominations.
The new dining plan will also feature a dining option available only for the upperclass occupants of The Village at 115, the new Northside dorms currently under construction. Known as the "7 Apartment" plan, students who choose this will be given seven meals per week with no dining points or CaseCash at a cost of $1100.
While the new plan is making more options available to undergraduates, students do not seem pleased with the new choices.
"I don't think that the gold plan is a good idea because you can get the same amount of dining points at a cheaper cost [using the flex system] and still have the privilege of adding on your own CaseCash," junior Michael Renfro said.
Though sopho-more David Adams said he recognizes Case's efforts in providing more options for students, he also holds a similar opinion.
"It's good that we have more to choose from, but the new option that the meal plan offers doesn't seem necessary," he said. "It's just another way for Case to squeeze every last nickel out of you."
