Fwd: Important updates to meal plan options for fall 2019

[Chinonyelum P Ikeanyi]

tldr: 125 meal plan coming back for Fall 2019 until proper student feedback is gathered to determine what the replacement will be

Look below for the full announcement from Mark Hayes and Suzy Nelson

Best,
Nonye

Begin forwarded message:

From: Mark Hayes <mdhayes at mit.edu<mailto:mdhayes at mit.edu>>
Date: April 24, 2019 at 10:24:53 AM EDT
Cc: <hdc at mit.edu<mailto:hdc at mit.edu>>, Suzy Nelson <nelsonsm at mit.edu<mailto:nelsonsm at mit.edu>>, <pdc at mit.edu<mailto:pdc at mit.edu>>
Subject: Important updates to meal plan options for fall 2019
Reply-To: <foodstuff at mit.edu<mailto:foodstuff at mit.edu>>

Dear meal-plan subscribers,

In meetings and conversations over the last couple of weeks, Dean Suzy Nelson and I heard that MIT community members were surprised by and concerned about recent changes to the house dining plan. We have taken that feedback to heart, and DSL and MIT Dining acknowledge that the process for considering and communicating these changes fell short. We did not elicit student and stakeholder input as we should have.

For these reasons, we are pausing the rollout of new plans. For fall 2019, students may choose from the same meal plans offered in spring 2019, including the 125-meal plan with $290 Dining Dollars. The prices for fall 2019 will be adjusted in accordance with the schedule released in March (see Figure 1 and Question 4 in the updated FAQ<https://studentlife.mit.edu/sites/default/files/Documents/20190423-RateIncreases-Update-FINAL.pdf> for details).

If you would like to change your meal plan, please go to http://myhousing.mit.edu<http://myhousing.mit.edu/> (certificate required).

MIT Dining is also assessing the feasibility of piloting a grab-and-go location on the east side of campus where plan participants can use a meal swipe for lunch. This was a feature in last year’s dining RFP, and we think it will be convenient for students who have classes on the east side of campus while also alleviating the lunch rush at Maseeh Hall.

So that future meal plan changes are considered carefully—with student and community input—and then communicated fully, Dean Nelson has asked Peter Cummings and me to convene a working group comprised of heads of house, students, and staff to review the findings of the 2017 dining study<http://studentlife.mit.edu/sites/default/files/Documents/DiningSlidesUpdated.pdf> relative to our house dining goals:

  *   Create a residential and retail dining landscape that maximizes choice, provides value, and addresses the needs of undergraduates and graduate students;
  *   Enhance the undergraduate residential dining experience that include options for flexibility and portability;
  *   Explore the potential of using meal plans across campus;
  *   Improve food quality;
  *   Foster community building;
  *   Increase dining participation; and
  *   Identify a potential financial model that generates a sustainable and strong dining program.
We will update the community on this group’s progress early next semester. For now, we want to thank the community members who provided candid feedback on the dining program. If you would like to share ideas on how to enhance retail or house dining at MIT, please email foodstuff at mit.edu<mailto:foodstuff at mit.edu>.

Sincerely,
Mark Hayes
Director, MIT Dining
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