Current dining plan options

Plan I — $400 + tax
Plan II — $500 + tax
Plan III — $650 + tax
Plan IV — $850 + tax

2001-2002 dining plans

Incoming students — $800 + tax
Continuing students — $600 + tax
Tom Brown-Pete Wright Residential Community residents — $400 + tax

Source: Residential Services’ handout and the Residential Services Web site (www.rlh.tcu.edu).

Dining to raise minimum $200
New plan in effect next fall

Chrissy Braden
Staff Reporter

Some students are going to be spending less of their food budget at Chili’s Grill & Bar and more of it at The Main because of the changing dining plan for next semester, said Roger Fisher, director of residential services.

The minimum dining plan requirement, which all students living on campus must purchase, will increase for some students by at least $200 next semester.

Tim Cox - Skiff Staff Jennifer Komsthoeft, a freshman English major, eats in The Main Thursday. The average meal plan next semester is schedule to increase by at least $200. Incoming freshman will be expected to purchase $800 meal plans.

Fisher said the increase asks students to spend more money on campus, but not more money on food.

“Most students probably spend between $1,200 and $1,800 on food each year,” he said. “We’re not asking them to spend any more than that. We’re just asking them to spend more of that money with us.”

He said the new dining plan would also keep students who initially buy one of the lower dining plans from having to put more money toward their meal plans during the semester.

This year, students have the option of purchasing a $400, $500, $650 or $850 meal plan. A minimum of $400 must be spent each semester before students can be refunded remaining money on their accounts.

Next semester, only residents of the Tom Brown-Pete Wright Residential Community will be offered a minimum dining plan of $400, according to the Residential Services Web site (www.rlh.tcu.edu).

The site reported that incoming students will have to purchase an $800 a semester dining plan and continuing students will have to purchase a $600 or $800 a semester dining plan.

Fisher said the dining plan change would not affect most students, because they already spend at least $800 a semester on their dining plans.

Leigh Covert, a sophomore speech communication major, said the new plan is ridiculous.

“It’s just another way for (TCU) to get more money out of us,” she said. “I don’t even use my $400 minimum right now.”

Covert agreed there was a need for a change in dining plans, but in the opposite direction.

“It should be on a need basis,” she said. “There shouldn’t even be a minimum requirement.”

Fisher said most parents would like to have dining plans more than $800 for freshman.

“Parents want to be sure their freshman son or daughter has plenty of meals,” he said. “They want to know that there’s enough money there for their kids to be able to eat whenever they want to.”

Fisher said the minimum dining plan may increase for upperclassmen after next year.

Unused money on dining plans from the Fall 2001 semester will be carried over to the Spring 2002 semester. But all unused money less than the minimum on the plans is nonrefundable after the spring semester.

Fisher said the school has received about $5 million for dining plans each year.

“There’s a really small percentage that we get from students who haven’t used their minimum,” he said. “And we give very little back because the majority of students spend at least $800 a semester.”

Fisher did not have an exact figure of how much the university keeps from money not used on dining plans, but he said that it went toward general university fees.

“It goes to what I call the black hole,” he said. “That money goes toward paying for things like the Student Center renovation.”

To avoid this donation to the black hole and use their new dining plans, students will have to eat more on campus next semester and reserve Chili’s Bar & Grill for special occasions, like university holidays.

Chrissy Braden
l.c.braden@student.tcu.edu