Forced "corporate dining" at UofL

I'm guessing the Louisville Cardinal is not a regular read for most forum participants, so I thought the following article may be of interest.

http://www.louisvillecardinal.com/sections/news/mandatory_meal_plan_to_be_enacted

sounds to me like U of L students are about to get hosed.

sounds to me like U of L students are about to get hosed.

I read the article and totally agree.

[Robin Garr]

sounds to me like U of L students are about to get hosed.

It also hoses small businesses - specifically restaurants - around the campus. Time for a little community organizing in the restaurant industry?

I haven't complied much research to support my claims, but I think many universities require one and/or both of the following meal plans...

1. Mandatory freshman plan
2. Mandatory plan for all people living on campus without a kitchen

When I was at UDayton, UD required both plans. BUT...98% of UD students live in campus housing. Requiring participation from all university students, even those who have other food options, seems out-of-line.

I'm on campus between 20-30 hours a week(including a 10-hour day), and yesterday was the first day I've bought more than a vending-machine drink or snack all semester. As a graduate student, I seem to be excluded from the plan (an idea not clear in the article), but I'm still none-too-happy about it. "UofL" signs my paycheck, so I'm going to be real careful about what I say.

Ultimately, students should not be forced to provide up-front capital to food service operators as a means to lower the operator's financial risk. Also important, as Roger pointed out, is the way in which this plan will negatively impact local independents.

A mandatory plan for commuter students is just wrong IMO. What about brown baggers, etc. The students are getting the big hose. I guess some small businesses might suffer but when I was a UL student a hunderd years ago it was McDonalds and Friches most of the time or we brought a sandwich from home

UL is getting a piece of the action....bank on that!

Go Flyers!

My son is a freshman at DePaul University in Chicago. They also have a mandatory meal plan.

When I was an undergrad at UofL I had a job that was about 5 minutes from campus. I would go straight from work to class or vice versa, and spent very little time on campus and not in class. I almost never ate on campus. I think there are a ton of commuter students in similar situations. This is total BS.

(I find this extra infuriating because I just went to campus today to pick up my diploma from my master's and had to pay a $25 "degree fee." They sent me from the registrar's office to the bursar, who informed me that if I wanted to pay the fee with my debit card, there would be an additional $15 service charge. They directed me to the ATM outside the financial aid office, which charged me $2 to get money to pay the fee. Way to extort just little more money from me, UofL.)

U of L has also implemented a new policy: "Anyone posting/blogging about U of L must pay $2 a word." When contacted at home U o' L policy explainer Milton Cranky said "We have a prestigious University to run and we cannot do that without exploiting some students. In terms of the internet blogging fee we just have to ask if people know that bandwidth doesn't just float around in the air for free, we have got to get a handle on this internet and profit, er...I mean recoup our costs."

U of L has also implemented a new policy: "Anyone posting/blogging about U of L must pay $2 a word." When contacted at home U o' L policy explainer Milton Cranky said "We have a prestigious University to run and we cannot do that without exploiting some students. In terms of the internet blogging fee we just have to ask if people know that bandwidth doesn't just float around in the air for free, we have got to get a handle on this internet and profit, er...I mean recoup our costs."

Link? I'm not on either side. (Actually, I kinda am) I just think you should back up what you say.

this is a load of bull. this is my third year at uofl, and everyone i know hates the place. i work at ups so that i can actually afford to go to school, and this is just another $250 bill that i'll get to pay each semester out of pocket. there's not even anything good to eat at uofl. if i eat anything while i'm at school, which i usually don't, it would be santa fe, but i doubt this would be included since they don't even take credit cards. nearly everyone in the article thinks its a horrible idea and all of the comments are in agreement that this sucks. most people that i know purposely schedule their classes so that they go to school, take two or three classes in a row, and then get the hell out. god damn it.

uofl already has ridiculous tuition increases to pay for all sorts of non-academic expenses (stadium?) every single year. there's no way i would spend this, and if i did it would be on crappy food like taco hell that would make me fat.

The only exemptions for meal plans must be based on religious or medical concerns. Moore also said a special waiver plan is possibly in the works for unique circumstances.

tell me how to qualify. i'm about to find a religion that doesn't support fast food.

note: i don't know the exact number, but i know that uofl has a much higher commuter average than most schools of its size.

look at the poll to the side. right now the results are:

*It’s ridiculous. How many more fees are we going to have to pay? 81 % (83)
*Students were not consulted enough about it beforehand. This is the first I am hearing about it. 7 % (7)
*It’s a good idea. Students spend enough time on campus where it should make sense. 6 % (6)
*Students should help pay for the expansion of food services, but making it mandatory seems unfair. 7 % (7)

hmmmm.

U of L has also implemented a new policy: "Anyone posting/blogging about U of L must pay $2 a word." When contacted at home U o' L policy explainer Milton Cranky said "We have a prestigious University to run and we cannot do that without exploiting some students. In terms of the internet blogging fee we just have to ask if people know that bandwidth doesn't just float around in the air for free, we have got to get a handle on this internet and profit, er...I mean recoup our costs."

Link? I'm not on either side. (Actually, I kinda am) I just think you should back up what you say.

Your kidding, right? Satire is a dying art. Bad satire is alive and well.

I am going to email President Ramsey. The school will do anything to make a buck no matter how much it costs to make it and who has to pay it.
Look at the recent handling of the Flener situation. And before that, the previous president was found 'guilty' of misuse of funds at a couple of institutions, but we didn't have a problem with him. It's because he raised more money than anyone else had, I believe...huge growth at UofL began with him, but he got to travel and wine and dine and who knows what else to acquire the funds. At that level, it is justified. I can see to a point but at this level they protect their own.
We could ask President Ramsey the next time we see him but he and his wife usually attend as many out of town sporting events plus out of town alumni events so he may be out of touch on this.
Crappy timing too with our economy swirling down the tubes.
Alot of our family went to UofL (I take a class a semester) but my grandson was denied admission (going back to his great grandfather and great uncles having gone there, grandfather, aunt is a student). He was accepted by other schools in the state. Our friend's daughter applied to law school (family of UofL law school graduates) and was denied admission recently. Don't know who the new target students are? Out of state? Higher tuition?