For North Campus residents at West Chester University, a meal plan is a required. These meal plans can range any where from $538.00 for the 75 block plus $100.00 flex plan, to $1,211.00 for 19 meals a week plus $250.00 flex plan. However, the places on campus that actually accepts meals are dwindling. This past week, Java City in the Harvey Green Library, which has been accepting meals since I have been a student here, began only accepting flex or Ram Bucks. Four out of eight locations on campus that serve food and/or beverages accept meals. For your information, I am counting Rams Head where as a place you can use meals at, though Chick-Fil-A does not accept meals. I am also counting South Campus South Side, yet Subway does not accept meals either.
It is nice that WCU is offering a wider variety of food on campus. However, the fact that they are thinking so little of the student’s wallet and solely about their own seems slightly unfair.
Now a counter argument to my complaint would be go to Lawrence Dining Hall, which is one meal and unlimited food. However, anyone making that argument could not possibly have eaten there before.
This leaves two options: 1) burn a figurative hole in your Ram-e-Card and watch as your flex dollars quickly disappear, or 2) burn a literal hole in your stomach from the miserable quality food served at those few places on campus where meals are accepted.
R. Brandyn Miller is a junior at West Chester University.