Dear Editor,
Welcome to ETSU. Meal plans are here to rip you off. This semester I finally skimped on the big meal plan and opted for a 100 block commuter plan.
After eating three meals out, I noticed that the system had taken five meals from my account. It turns out that every time that I ate at the campus Quizno’s, the computer took two meals instead of one.
After a few calculations I found that a commuter meal plan equals $619 (before tax). This includes $50 in “Dining Dollars” (they can’t rip you off here, except by jacking up the price on everything in the BucMart). This comes out to $619 for 100 meals ($6.19 a meal).
Meals are defined as one trip to Main Meal, or if used anywhere else, a value of $3.45 toward your meal (or an even worse $2.35 for breakfast).
But if $3.45 is considered a one-meal equivalent, then that means $3.45 multiplied by 100 equals $345.
This plan is advertised as saving the student $50. But if you never eat at Main Meal, and instead eat at Chick-Fil-A, Quizno’s, etc., you in fact lose money ($619 minus $345 equals $274 in losses).
I can’t even imagine how much you are losing if you have a Resident Advantage plan.
But if you really are a big fan of Main Meal, then you really are saving $50. Oh boy.
Info taken from http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSS/EastTennessee/
– Jessica Pruitt
*Editor’s Note*
When students with a meal plan eat at any food service location other than Main Meal and specify when asked at checkout if you want “ID Bucs” or “Meal Plan,” those who respond “Meal Plan” will have that meal counted against their meals (one lunch or dinner is equivalent to $3.45, breakfast is equivalent to $2.35).
Keep in mind that if the meal you purchase is over $3.45, it will take an additional meal away to make up the difference. If you get a sandwich at Quizno’s for $6.90, it will cost you two meals on the meal plan.
Respond “ID Bucs” and it won’t count against your meals … only your dining dollars (ID Bucs).

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