As the newness of the semester wears off, so does the glitz of the new meal plan.

Students understand the ins and outs of the plan, and it’s still coming up short. The fact that students can only use their swipes at Market Square is irrational. Not only is it cause for a suffocatingly-clogged Market Square at meal times, but it is also cause for the suffering eateries that used to be campus favorites.

While the Frog Bucks system has, understandably, been widely applauded for its charm in including off-campus restaurants, it is irrational for Dining Services to expect students to use those dollars allocated for off-campus dining on campus. Pond Street and Sub Connections are suffering because meal plans have significantly fewer Frog Bucks that students would rather save for the many off-campus restaurants participating in the Frog Bucks program.

Variety and convenience are crucial to creating a meal plan that is satisfactory to students. Both of these were compromised with the new meal plan.
Sure, Market Square offers a variety of flavors, but it removes two prior campus favorites from the swipe-card menu.

Students have also complained that walking to the Brown-Lupton University Union in between classes is not convenient. And those who live in Worth Hills are forced to decide between walking across campus or spending their coveted Frog Bucks at Pond Street Grill.

This aspect of the meal plan is one of many complaints students have had about it. The newness is gone, and students are still taking issue with the logistics. It’s time for Dining Services to take these complaints seriously and do something to remedy them.

Editor-in-Chief Bailey Shiffler for the editorial board.