By Gianna Cousino
Staff Writer
Among the numerous changes made this school year, Franciscan University has included an addition to the meal plan options currently available for residents of Assisi Heights.
The new meal plan for Assisi Heights is also available for Scotus Hall and St. Vianney Hall. This meal plan is titled the Baron Bag Membership. According to the Residence Life page of Franciscan’s Port website, this membership includes three meal swipes per week and $150 in Flex Dollars per semester.
It also includes a new feature called the “Baron Bag” program, which allows students to customize and order a bag of groceries through the Transact Mobile App, the same app that allows students to remotely order food from the Pub. The bags are then sent to a pickup station near the Well in Christ the Teacher, where the students can come and collect their orders.
A notable feature of this new meal plan is its low price. It is currently the least expensive meal plan available, costing around $600 per semester. In contrast, the other available meal plans have a combined average around $2,400 per semester.
This new program may provide a sustainable and relatively inexpensive meal plan that allows residents of the affected living spaces to fulfill their nutritional requirements without the need for a car. It may also be beneficial to students who want to continue eating occasional meals at the dining hall or who want to get Pub meals without worrying about using money from personal accounts.
However, many students are unsure of the university’s decision. There are concerns about the variation of groceries available, how effectively this new meal plan will work, and whether students who currently live in the Heights can still get off the meal plan entirely.
There are some students who have little to no disagreements with the new meal plan, provided that the residents can still choose to opt out of it. As one anonymous student noted, “I think it’s a good idea, but I don’t think people should be forced to do it.
Overall, the decision made by the university to implement this meal plan seems to be a very reasonable one. However, if they wish to gain student approval for this addition, they should keep in mind that some students may wish to stay off the meal plans completely.
In order to look after the needs of the individual students, the university must recognize the importance of the students’ independence and allow them the ability to make proper decisions without being placed in the meal plan unknowingly.
If the university acknowledges this and takes the students’ opinions into account, then programs such as the newest meal plan will have an overall positive effect. The university must work together with its students and respect their desires to make their own choices, especially when it involves the food that they eat.