Dining changes slated for next semester

On Jan. 26 University Auxiliary Services approved a complete overhaul of the meal plans for the 2010-11 academic year, raising prices but including the addition of an option that would allow for unlimited meal swipes.
UAS also approved the overhaul of the Corner Café, located in the Campus Center. That space will be converted to a Cold Stone Creamery and Tim Horton’s coffee and donut shop, which is slated to be open for the fall 2010 semester.
“Over the next five years or so there is going to be a major transformation in the Campus Center,” UAS Executive Director J. Eric Smith said.
These changes to the meal plans came after a survey of several hundred students regarding their satisfaction with the current meal plans was conducted.
The meal plan with 19 meals a week has been completely eliminated due to a week-long study of students currently using the plan. The study showed that during that particular week, only one student actually ate 19 meals. The 120 meals per semester plan has received some tweaking as well.
The new meal plans will be called the Opportunity Plan, the Community Plan and the Economy Plan.
The Economy Plan nearly replicates the current 120 meal plan, though it will include an additional $100 in Munch Money, raising the total amount to $400. The plan will cost $1,725 per semester, a 1.7 percent increase over the current plan.
The Community plan is identical to the current 15-meals-a-week plan, providing $200 in Munch Money per semester. The price will increase by 3.6 percent to $2,028 a semester, however.
The Opportunity plan will provide students with unlimited meal swipes throughout the semester. The plan will also have $170 of Munch Money as opposed to the current plan, which allows $150 of Munch Money per semester.
Unlike the current 15- and 19-meal plans, the Opportunity plan will allow only five guest passes per semester. It also restricts students to one light-meal trade and two late-night meal trades per day. This plan will also see a 3.6 percent price increase to $2,028 a semester from the current 19-meal plan.
There will be no changes to the current commuter meal plan options.
Each plan will allow students to eat at whichever quad they want, including State Quad, which will have a brand new dining hall next semester.  
Other changes to dining options include a reduction in the price of Kosher meals so that students who require this option will not need to pay a premium fee.
With the old plans, Munch Money only rolled over in to the next semester if you purchased a new meal plan. With the new meal plans, the only requirement to rollover your Munch Money is that you remain enrolled in the university.
“The plans seem to be an improvement,” said Justin Ponquinette, a sophomore. “I would definitely consider getting the Opportunity plan next year so I don’t have to contemplate if it is worth it to lose a swipe over a cup of coffee or some butter and toast.”
While the Corner Café will cease to exist, J. Eric Smith, executive director of University Auxiliary Services, sees the Tim Horton’s location as an improvement.
“The food service options will increase at Tim Horton’s,” he said. “I think you’ll see better choices there next year.”
Smith also noted that in order to pay for the renovations to the Corner Cafe, better wages for Chartwells employees and operations costs for the new State Quad dining hall, a few other changes will be made.
Aside from the increase in price of the meal plans, UAS will be closing some of the less profitable dining options at UAlbany. The Empire Commons Cafe, for example, will be shut down after this year.
“When any operation that we have loses money, we still have to pay the people who work there,“ Smith said. “So we are going to close Empire Commons Cafe and replace it with healthier vending options.”
UAS is also attempting to allow meal trades in Campus Center at earlier hours, create better traffic control and improve the aesthetics as a whole, Smith said.