By: Kristie Schiefer
News Assignment Editor
As a senior heading into the 2013-‘14 academic year, I’ve considered living in a single room in Francis Hall.
But that idea doesn’t look so promising to me anymore. University officials told me I would have to purchase a Bona Platinum, Bona Gold or Bona Silver meal plan.
Yes, the ones with unlimited swipes, actually 1,000, to the glorious Hickey Dining Hall that cost roughly $5,000 per academic year.
I purchased one of these idiotic plans for my freshman and sophomore years. This year, I happily purchased 150 swipes and $100 in Bona Bucks per semester when I moved into my townhouse.
That cost me $1,736 for the year.
Why must I purchase a Bona Silver meal plan for $4,955 when I barely use my 150 swipes?
I’m not cooking myself meals every night, and I’m not starving.
The only answer I received from university officials is that I’m required to purchase a full meal plan if I live in a residence hall.
And no, there are absolutely no exemptions.
The only way I’ll be living in Francis is if I can take out a $3,000 loan to pay for food I won’t eat.
I’ve considered gathering up the starving people of the Olean and Allegany area and bringing them in to share the swipes with me.
If it came down to it, I might just bring in Tupperware containers as well to hoard as much food as I could.
When comparing Bona’s to other colleges, I found most other colleges do not require their upperclassmen to purchase a freshman meal plan based on where they live.
Take for example, Edinboro University.
Their website clearly states the options for various plans between underclassmen that have been on campus less than two semesters and upperclassmen that have attended the university more than two semesters. Stated in fine print is, “All students residing in on-campus housing are required to purchase a My Meals.” However, upperclassmen have the option to change the automatically assigned plan. Their highest meal plan: $1,684 for 210 Block meals (14 per week) and 350 Flex.
Let’s move on to St. John Fisher College.
There are no specificities about which students are required to purchase what, according to its website. But all its meal plans give students a limited amount of meals per term and at a fairly cheaper price than Bona’s. Students receive 272 meals per term for $2,310.
If we didn’t have unlimited swipes, could we lower the costs?
If a student went to the Hickey four times a day, seven days a week for 13 weeks, that’s only 364 swipes. That’s like paying $6.80 for a meal, maybe even just a bowl of Cocoa Puffs, and wasting 636 swipes.
For me, swiping in twice a day I’d pay $13.60 per meal under the Bona Silver plan.
Siena College also limits the number of meals students get per week and recommend their plans for any student. The highest meal plan includes 19 meals a week and $150 Bonus Dollars for $2,457.50 per semester. Compare that to the Bona Gold plan costing $2627.50 per semester.
We do not need unlimited swipes into the Hickey Dining Hall when we are no longer freshmen.
As an upperclassman, I am not throwing my money away on food I will not eat for reasons unexplained to me.
Bona’s needs to re-evaluate its meal plans and cater them more towards the needs of students.
Unless university officials would like to split the costs of the unlimited swipes, I’ll pay $743.25 for my 150 swipes. They can pay $4,211.75 for the remaining 850.
