Mandatory Meal Plan Up 20%

by Alan Goldsmith

For the second year in a row, Yeshiva Food Services’ mandatory meal plan has increased by $75 per semester. The change comes on the heels of a poorly received tuition increase that was announced during the spring 2002 semester. Originally a stable $750 per semester just two years ago, the meal plan increased to $825 last fall and is now up to a whopping $900.

Yeshiva students met the price hike with incredulity.   “Prices are already too high,” said Yeshiva College senior Shlomo Schwarzbard, “and to force students to pay more into the meal plan when the meals themselves are too expensive puts them in a very tough bind. It not only forces students to do something unreasonable; it also rewards Food Services for getting worse.”

In a message relayed to The Commentator, the Department of Communication and Public Affairs minimized the effect of the increase. “The YU meal plan costs half of those at most universities. While we strive to keep these services at as low a cost as possible for students, minor increases are inevitable.”

While other universities have much more expensive kosher meal plans, they often offer loopholes for budget-conscious students that Yeshiva does not have. The Columbia University kosher meal plan, for instance, costs $3,560 for the entire year but is mandatory only for all first year students.  Although Brandeis University’s optional premium meal plan costs $3,440 a year, students can choose from other more economical options that offer fewer meals per week.

Yeshiva’s meal plan, by contrast, has only one price tag and is mandatory for all students living in University Housing, which includes the Independent Housing Program. Although the meal plan in the 1970s and early 1980s included three price levels – the cheapest of which was for students – this system no longer exists.

To compound the weekday meal plan price increase, the Shabbat Enhancement Program, which subsidizes Shabbos meals and offers activities for students spending Shabbos on campus, had its meal prices doubled. For the first seven years of the program, the price for three Shabbos meals was $5 for students and $10 for guests. This year, however, prices increased to $10 for students and $15 for guests.

Associate Dean of Students Dr. Chaim Nissel attributed the increases to higher costs. “In the seven years of the program, food, labor and energy costs have gone up,” said Nissel. “Subsidizing this program costs Yeshiva University hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. YU is in a serious deficit and a tuition increase is not enough to compensate for the shortfall.”

The “serious deficit” notwithstanding, waiters for Shabbos meals will be paid more than last year. Furthermore, while they used to be paid by earning credit for their meal plan, they will now receive cash stipends.

Some have expressed concern that the Shabbos Enhancement Program increase may lead to decreased student presence on campus each weekend. “By having to pay 10 or 15 dollars each time they want to stay in for Shabbos, many guys may just decide it’s not worth coming in,” speculated a Resident Advisor.

Dean of Students David Himber maintained that this is the way it should be, for the ultimate choice falls on the students. “Where and how students spend their time is a very individual decision,” said Himber. “Part of college is the growth experience of deciding where one goes and what one does.”

The upcoming meals for Rosh Hashana will also increase to $15, from $10 last year. Whereas costs and financial deficits have been given as reasons for these price increases, they have failed to alleviate student disgruntlement at having to pay more for almost every aspect of their campus life this year.