Meal plans are set to rise in price at Simpson and take on a different structure while future renovations of Kent will force students to eat at Pfeiffer Hall next semester. 

The new plan allows students to spend their allotted amount of boards and flex per week. There will be three different options for students to choose from. Non–apartment living students have the option to choose between 19 and 12-meal-per-week plans. Those plans will cost the same $2,611 per semester. Students that choose the 12 meals per week will have more flex to spend throughout the week.

Students that live in apartments on campus will have three meal plan choices. The third meal plan will be seven meals per week. This option will cost $1,637 per semester.

Vice President for Student Development and Planning Heidi Levine was excited to premiere this meal plan next semester to combat the issue of students being unable to eat on campus in the late fall or spring. 

“We’ve had a problem with food insecurity,” Levine said.

With the current block plan, it is easy to mismanage your boards and flex, and students are often left empty-handed nearing the end of the semester. Levine hopes to solve this food insecurity with the new meal plan and guarantee that students will have access to food on campus all semester long.

“As we’re changing our dining facilities and dining program, it was the right time to transition the board program so that we have a board program that matches what our new dining program is going to look like,” Levine said.

Students are not happy about the meal plan becoming more expensive, but as food and labor increase in price, it is something Simpson thought was necessary. 

Emily Burns is a sophomore at Simpson and is majoring in biochemistry. As a student that will be attending the institution next year, she shared her frustrations.

“If you don’t use the meals for the week, you just lose them. I know students that go home often or don’t eat three meals a day,” Burns said

Kent is set to receive renovations next semester, which will make Pfeiffer the only location on campus to get food. Pfeiffer is going to be a continuous dining model from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. to allow students to have some flexibility with their schedules. The dining staff will benefit by all being in one location at Pfeiffer instead of being split between two facilities.

“There will be fewer places to be using flex next year,” Levine said.

According to Levine, the Thursday after spring break between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., the architects will host an open forum with visuals about what the renovations in Kent will look like. 

Levine is excited that our meal plan is seeing changes next school year and believes that in the long run, with a few pinches along the way, the Kent renovations will all be worth it.