Proposed New Meal Plan Would Mean More Expense

A proposal to eliminate the compulsory 21-meal-per-week board plan is scheduled to be considered by the Committee on Houses Jan. 12.

The new plan was submitted by C. Graham Hurlburt, director of the University Food Services.

The "flexible meal plan" will raise the per-meal fee now paid by students eating in University dining halls. Anyone who still wants 21 meals a week will pay $150 more than the current $800 per year.

Under the new plan, a student could elect to eat no more than 19 meals a week at a cost of $850 annually. A student who chooses to eat 9 to 15 meals weekly would pay $50 less than the present $800 fee, which is calculated on the basis of 13 meals a week.

According to the new plan, dining rooms would remain open as usual for 21 meals a week. The new plan gives each meal a specific point value: breakfast, 1 point; lunch, 2 points; dinner, 3 points. Students could choose from three plans which have varying point totals.

Dining tickets worth 50 points each would be issued to individual students who would carry the ticket to meals to have it punched.

The proposed point system works out as follows:

plan A, which costs $750, has about 24 points per week- as many as 15 meals or as few as 9, depending on which meals the student chooses to eat;

plan B, costing $800, amounts to about 30 points per week- as many as 17 or as few as 12;

plan C, which costs $850, has approximately 36 points per week- as many as 19 or as few as 15 meals.

Students who do not sign up for a specific plan, according to the proposal, would be assigned to Plan B, which corresponds in price to the current board rate.

Dining punch tickets would be issued and signed for throughout the term. If a student should deplete all of his allotted points before the end of the term, he may purchase meals using the standard meal coupons.

Students could pay for guests either on their punch tickets or with meal coupons. Tickets would be valid for Interhouse, in accordance with the regular board contract system. Students would be able to change from one plan to another at the beginning of each term.