Senator
proposes dorm meal plan makeover
By
Mario Burciaga
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
The restricting dormitory meal plans at Cal State Long Beach have led Associated
Students, Inc. Sen. Amin Km to present the Flex Plan, a proposal that will
enable dorm students to spend their meal money at all on-campus restaurants
currently accepting Beach Club.
Km said if the proposal is implemented, students would have the opportunity
to actually have a choice of what to eat.
“
There will be better serving hours which would allow students to save time
and study or relax,” Kim said. “The dorm food sucks and the hours
are terrible. Actually they are not even flexible.”
Km said one of the main reasons the Flex Plan will be so effective is because
of the competition it will provide between the dinning halls and the rest of
the dinning facilities on campus.
“
Competition with a little control can better the services of the dinning
facilities. As long as prices don’t inflate, then it’s alright,” Km
said.
CSULB dorms students are required to choose one of two meal plans. A 12-meal
plan costs $l,899 per year and the 19-meal plan costs $1,986 per year.
The proposal would allow students to credit their Beach Club card with their
dormitory meal money and allow them to use it at any 49er shop, dinning plaza
or University Student Union restaurant that accepts Beach Club cards.
“
I think [the Flex Plan] is great. We’re paying for our meals anyway,
we might as well use them, but I don’t like how we don’t have ‘rollover’ meals,” said
Nikki Laqui, a sophomore nursing major and dorm resident. “If we didn’t
get our meal, we shouldn’t pay for it.”
Also commenting on the benefits of the Flex Plan was sophomore Karen Balajadia.
“
I think I would benefit from the Flex Plan because it would help me save money
when I eat at the restaurants on campus,” Balajadia said.
The Flex Plan will be discussed by the CSULB administration. Stan Olin, director
of Housing and Residential Life at CSULB, is one of the members with the authority
to approve the Flex Plan proposal.
“
[The Flex Plan] is not reliable from the student’s point of view,” Olin
said. Because the Flex Plan is still in the developing stages, Olin declined
further comment.
Olin and Km as well as members of the 49er shops will meet on campus Nov. 10
to discuss the issue.
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