Dine on dorm delights or dish out dough
Meal coupons give greater food choices, but for rising price
By Karen Duryea
Judy Perez and her fellow front desk employees play an important
role in the eating habits of Dykstra Hall residents. As one of her
many duties on the job, Perez doles out meal coupons Monday through
Friday for students to utilize as "cash on campus."
A meal is subtracted from each student’s identification card in
exchange for a meal coupon. The coupons go toward the cost of
purchasing a meal on campus in the event that they miss the meal
times at the dormitories.
The coupons are popular, with anywhere from 100 to 200 students
per day exchanging their lunches or dinners in each dorm, Perez
said.
But despite the coupons’ popularity, many students believe they
are not receiving their money’s worth.
"I think (the service) is useful, but they should raise the
prices on it," said Emily Birch, a second-year biology student who
uses meal coupons roughly once a week. She feels that the value of
the meal coupons doesn’t compare with the rising cost of food on
campus.
The price that each front desk charges for guests to have a meal
in a dining hall ranges from $4.75 to $5.75, but the meal coupons
are only redeemable for $1.60 for lunch and $1.70 for dinner. When
purchasing meals on campus, students have to make up the price
difference between the value of the coupon and the cost of the
meal.
"I end up spending money out of my pocket," says Rita Olague, a
first-year psychology student. "Or I buy something within the price
range, like a drink," Olague said.
Birch claimed she can only buy a bagel or a muffin with her
$1.60.
In the event that a student decides to eat in the dorms rather
than use his or her coupon, the meal can be added back onto the
student’s debit card at a dorm front desk, Perez said.
Although the process is easy and provides students with the
option to break the monotony of dormitory cuisine, the coupon is
not enough to purchase a meal at most students’ association
(ASUCLA) eateries.
"A dollar-sixty is not going to give you a whole meal," said
Bobby Rangel, a fifth-year economics student. Rangel thinks that
meal coupons worth around $3.50 would be more realistic.
But housing administrators maintained that the low $1.60 value
also accounts for the labor costs provided in the dining halls.
"The value of the coupon is based on the average raw food cost
(per student)," says Michael Foraker, director of Housing
Administration in Business Enterprises.
Foraker, who ultimately makes the decision as to how much the
coupons are worth, said that records of dining hall attendance and
labor costs are considered in determining the cost of a meal.
"Clearly, students are going to pay more (on campus) than the
raw food costs at ASUCLA," Foraker said.
If housing were to raise the value of the meal coupons, they
would in actuality be paying for ASUCLA’s overhead costs, officials
explained.
"It’s like giving them part of the labor cost," explained Ken
Burkett, the front office manager of Dykstra Hall.
There are currently no plans that would allow students to use
their meal/identification card directly on campus.
This is because Business Enterprises and Housing, which manages
the dorm cafeterias, are separate from the students’
association.
However, an option still exists for nonresidents and faculty who
occasionally dine in the dorms and do not want to pay the guest
rate for every meal – Smartcash. This service resembles a debiting
account, and provides the user with savings of $1.75 per
meal.Comments to webmaster@db.asucla.ucla.edu