So, BoardPlus Hasn’t Changed Since 2007…

I was having lunch with my friends in the Dunster dhall when I took the liberty of reading the HUDS newsletter placed upon each table. I noticed that BoardPlus was still $65 per semester this year, and I began to think: how long has that been the amount of BoardPlus each student has received each semester? After failing to find a Crimson article about the BoardPlus rate being raised (an oversight that would NEVER occur today), I decided to visit my trusty friend, the Wayback Machine.

I started by looking at February 2003, the month I was born. At the moment of my entrance into the world, the HUDS BoardPlus rate was $50 a month. Side note, this website layout is very fun.

BoardPlus Rate in 2003 By Eve S. Jones

The value of this today, according to the first website I found, is $85. And this is BEFORE the increase.

BoardPlus from 2003 with today's inflation By Eve S. Jones

So, I looked for when the change occurred. In 2006, the BoardPlus rate was still $50 a semester.

BoardPlus in 2006 By Eve S. Jones

This is the equivalent of $78 in today’s money.

BoardPlus from 2006 with today's inflation By Eve S. Jones

But between 2006 and 2007, something changed. HUDS BoardPlus became $65, the rate we know and love today.

BoardPlus in 2007 By Eve S. Jones

This was the equivalent of… Can you believe it?!

BoardPlus from 2007 with today's inflation By Eve S. Jones

Ninety-eight dollars! That is almost exactly 150 percent of our current BoardPlus rate. Our BoardPlus allowance has been the same through several financial crises and a pandemic. Coffee and mozz sticks are more expensive than ever, and HUDS turns a blind eye. Not to mention that the price of board as an undergraduate has almost doubled since 2007.

So, basically, I should be getting 150 percent of the free coffee I am now… just saying…