By VICTORIA MICHELETTI
A high volume of complaints last year made some changes to the meal plan options that are offered to students at the University of Great Falls.
Like most Universities, UGF has a use it or lose it policy. According to Dena Floerchinger of the University’s business office, a freshman student’s meal plan is built into their tuition.
This means that if the students do not use the amount of money allocated in the meal plan for each semester, then that money is not returned to them.
Last year students only had one option. The amount of money that each student on the University’s meal plan paid was $1,600.
According to student senate’s President, Jenni Stewart, they overheard a lot of complaints from students about the amount of money they lost at the end of the semester.
Stewart said, “We wanted to make sure people had a choice at least,” so the student senate went to work over two and a half months to try and bring about a change.
Stewart said that they created a survey to administer to the student’s to better figure out how everyone felt about the previous meal plan, then built a proposal to make a change.
The proposal was then submitted to Chief Financial Officer Peggy Board, while student senate waited for the response.
The proposal was a success as incoming freshman students and anyone else who is required to have a university meal plan now have two options to choose from.
A memo describing these meal plans, located in the university’s business office, states that students can pick either the “platinum plan” or the “gold plan.”
The platinum plan costs students $1,600 just like the previous plan, only now students can use up to $300 from those funds to purchase gift cards to off-campus food establishments.
Vicki Podvin, a manager of the University’s cafeteria said “gift cards in $20 increments can be purchased any time from the university’s cafeteria,” and are available for McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway, Burger King, and Albertsons Food Stores.
According to Vicki, students have responded well and have already been purchasing gift cards this semester, with the Albertsons Food Stores gift cards being the most popular.
The gold plan costs students $1,400. Those funds are limited to use at campus food facilities only, and does not allow students to purchase gift cards.
Student’s meal plan cards can be used to purchase food at the cafeteria, the Argo café, the book store, as well as the McLaughlin Center.
Student life coordinator Lacey Spencer said, “Although it has not been advertised very well, any student who does not have a meal plan can still go to the business office and place money onto their account.”
Spencer said, “It’s a lot easier,” she puts money onto her account each semester “so that [she] does not have to use [her] debit card” each time she wishes to purchase food.
Floerchinger said that any student who is not on a standard meal plan and wishes to put money onto an account can rest assured that those funds are not a part of the use it or lose it clause, and can roll over each semester or be refunded back.
Stewart said that although they “haven’t received feedback” on how students feel about the new meal plan, student senate is happy with their results as they “got more than [they] expected.”
Like most Universities, UGF has a use it or lose it policy. According to Dena Floerchinger of the University’s business office, a freshman student’s meal plan is built into their tuition.
This means that if the students do not use the amount of money allocated in the meal plan for each semester, then that money is not returned to them.
Last year students only had one option. The amount of money that each student on the University’s meal plan paid was $1,600.
According to student senate’s President, Jenni Stewart, they overheard a lot of complaints from students about the amount of money they lost at the end of the semester.
Stewart said, “We wanted to make sure people had a choice at least,” so the student senate went to work over two and a half months to try and bring about a change.
Stewart said that they created a survey to administer to the student’s to better figure out how everyone felt about the previous meal plan, then built a proposal to make a change.
The proposal was then submitted to Chief Financial Officer Peggy Board, while student senate waited for the response.
The proposal was a success as incoming freshman students and anyone else who is required to have a university meal plan now have two options to choose from.
A memo describing these meal plans, located in the university’s business office, states that students can pick either the “platinum plan” or the “gold plan.”
The platinum plan costs students $1,600 just like the previous plan, only now students can use up to $300 from those funds to purchase gift cards to off-campus food establishments.
Vicki Podvin, a manager of the University’s cafeteria said “gift cards in $20 increments can be purchased any time from the university’s cafeteria,” and are available for McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway, Burger King, and Albertsons Food Stores.
According to Vicki, students have responded well and have already been purchasing gift cards this semester, with the Albertsons Food Stores gift cards being the most popular.
The gold plan costs students $1,400. Those funds are limited to use at campus food facilities only, and does not allow students to purchase gift cards.
Student’s meal plan cards can be used to purchase food at the cafeteria, the Argo café, the book store, as well as the McLaughlin Center.
Student life coordinator Lacey Spencer said, “Although it has not been advertised very well, any student who does not have a meal plan can still go to the business office and place money onto their account.”
Spencer said, “It’s a lot easier,” she puts money onto her account each semester “so that [she] does not have to use [her] debit card” each time she wishes to purchase food.
Floerchinger said that any student who is not on a standard meal plan and wishes to put money onto an account can rest assured that those funds are not a part of the use it or lose it clause, and can roll over each semester or be refunded back.
Stewart said that although they “haven’t received feedback” on how students feel about the new meal plan, student senate is happy with their results as they “got more than [they] expected.”
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