Reform the Meal Plan

The University of Maryland community recognizes several flaws with the existing rules governing student food policy. These include the following grievances:
-The meal plan system is inflexible and locks students into limited options,
-Focus dates, regardless of whether they help students budget their points or not, are not cognizant of student will; the money is being taken without the benefit of consent,
-Pricing with a mandatory facilities fee is deceptive and is skewed to attract non student customers at the expense of the students.

We, the undersigned, University of Maryland students, staff, and faculty, petition the parties affiliated with the University of Maryland College Park, listed below, as follows:

The Department of Resident Life, Director Dr. Deborah Grandner,

To eliminate or modify clauses 2 and/or 7 of the "Resident Agrees" section of the On-Campus Housing Agreement. These require the mandatory purchase of a Dining Services meal plan (2), and disallow a Terrapin Express account from fulfilling this obligation (7).

The Department of Dining Services, Director Patricia Higgins,

To work with the Department of Resident Life to move to a system of optional meal plans. Although students can endlessly debate the merits or problems with focus dates, food quality, or prices, it is unlikely that a consensus can be reached. Students, like all people, possess different opinions, tastes, and habits. Due to this variance in opinion, we do not petition the department to right any of these real or imagined "wrongs." Instead, we solely ask you and your department to let students unhappy with the service to take their money elsewhere.

Residence Halls Association, President Hannah Putman,

To represent the interests of the undersigned students by advocating the implementation of meal plan reforms, as discussed above, in your and your association's forums with the aforementioned departments.

We the undersigned, University of Maryland students, staff, and faculty,