One, and All who can’t afford it
By Alexis Schlesinger Opinion Editor Sixty-six percent of my student loan debt goes toward paying off my meal plan at Framingham State University. I was on track to graduate debt-free before I had to move on campus partway through my junior year. All resident students at FSU are required to purchase a meal plan, with the cheapest option for residents being the Value plan for $2,435. Commuter students are not required to purchase a meal plan, but have the option to. The lowest price for a commuter meal plan is the 25 Block plan, which gives commuters 25 meal swipes for $280. That comes out to 25 meals at $11.20 each. This year, anyone without a meal plan has to pay $7 for breakfast, and $13.25 for lunch and dinner. These prices are roughly $2 more than what they were my freshman year. Before I had a meal plan, there were days I would skip meals to save money. I would choose whether I would have lunch or dinner because I could only afford one. I would use up all of my friends’ guest swipes. I probably used over 50 each semester on my own. And I’ll never forget - while I was working during early move-in my sophomore year - I went to the dining hall to buy lunch. I asked to pay with my debit card, and the general manager, Michael Newark, asked me why I didn’t have a meal plan. I told him I couldn’t afford it. He told me the commuter dining plan was “affordable” and suggested I get a job on campus. I was already working four jobs, on top of being a full-time student in three student organizations. There were still days when I came to school and couldn’t afford a $12 meal because I had bills to pay. There is, of course, free food at the Rams Resource Center. The RRC also provides FSU community members with more than just meals. They also provide clothes, toiletries, bedding, and more to anyone who may need it. But, as one of our greatest resources to help students with food insecurity, the RRC is still largely inaccessible, especially to commuter students. The RRC is located underneath West Hall, the residence building at the end of Maynard Road, next to the “residents-only” parking lot. The hours of the RRC are subject to change every semester. You can find their current hours on their website: www.framingham.edu/campus-life/student-support-resources/rams-resource-center Fortunately, if none of their current operating hours work for you, you can schedule a time to pick up what you need by contacting the Dean of Students office by calling (508) 626-4596 or via email at deanofstudents@framingham.edu. The people who run the RRC are incredibly helpful and kind, and do the best they can to support students. However, a relocation is something the University should consider. The McCarthy Center is a hub of campus activity, open 24/7, and is welcoming to all individuals on campus. This would be a much more apt location for the RRC, rather than underneath a residence hall, which many FSU community members do not normally have access to. Students who have meal plans but don’t use all of their meal swipes each week can help out too, but only a little bit. You can donate one meal swipe per week. My meal plan gets me 19 swipes a week. I spend most of my time on weekends off campus, and on occasion, have to skip meals due to my work hours. I would say I use 12-15 swipes per week on average. But I can’t get any of the swipes I don’t use back. I don’t get any money back for not using them all. I can’t give them to anybody else. And forget about using regular swipes to help your friends have a meal. That’s not allowed either. I’ve asked friends to join me in the dining hall, but the reality is they can only join me if I have guest swipes left, because none of us can afford the prices. I’ve been that friend. You probably have that friend too. Dining hall prices need to come down if you want students to come down there, too.
