Extra meals hard to swallow

In addition to rising course fees, many students are also
victims of the rising costs of living on campus. This summer, many
students have also been forced to sign up for an expensive meal
plan that hardly fits their needs: a non-premiere,
21-meals-per-week plan.

Tell me, how many students really eat 21 meals per week? I
barely make time for two meals a day. During the regular academic
year, a 21-meal plan doesn’t even exist. Instead, during the
year the highest plan offered is the 19-premiere, and even this
plan means plenty of pizza parties and “free” drinks to
take home after the year is done. Yet over summer we are forced to
pay for meals that we won’t even use because ““ unlike
during the regular academic year ““ we don’t have the
option of an 11-, 14- or 19-meal plan or the option of premiere. A
premiere meal plan is a plan that allows unused meals to roll over
into the next week.

The convention attendees and international students who largely
occupy the dorms over the summer may actually utilize their 21
meals. Either that, or UCLA Dining Services decided to take
advantage of the financial benefits of an increased meal plan for
these non-UCLA students. But, for UCLA students accustomed to the
meal plans offered during the regular academic year, more choices
should be offered to allow us to save money. Even if there
isn’t the option of downgrading the number of meals, we
should at least be allowed the option of premiere ““ I’d
certainly like to invite a few friends to utilize my extra
meals!

While I’ve heard rumors that students will be reimbursed
for the price of their unused summer meals, I haven’t seen
this in action. Unfortunately, I am still confused about this
policy and if it is really in place. It is unclear whether these
rebates exist, whether they will only be given to the international
students, or if all students living on campus for the summer are
eligible. Session A has already passed, and I have not received any
money for my unused meals, nor has anyone I know.

Getting money back from housing? For students like me, that
would be a dream come true. If this rebate theory is really in
place, the method of reimbursement is unclear and inefficient.
Instead of forcing us to overbuy and then returning what we
don’t use, why can’t we just pay for what we want?

Hill is a third-year environmental studies student.