Having recognized the inherent problems with the dining plans currently offered to students, the University is attempting to reform the system.
It will eliminate three of the 10 plans for the coming year and rename the remaining ones with three-letter acronyms (such as “EAT” for “Eat Any Time”).
We appreciate that Penn has streamlined the process of signing up for a dining plan by cutting several unnecessary plans, making information more readily available on the internet and simplifying the signup procedure. But these modifications do nothing to address the problems underpinning the structure of the program.
Although upperclassmen have a wide range of dining plan choices, the revision still forces freshmen to sign up for an inflexible option. The first-year plan with the least number of meals and most Dining Dollars, the Best Food Fit plan, has the same exact specifications as the current Liberty Plan.
Instead of making superficial marketing changes, the University should create a system that allows all students to have the flexibility of the upperclassman plans, shape their plans as the semester progresses or to exchange unused meal swipes for Dining Dollars.
What do you think of the changes to Penn's dining plan system? Send us a letter to the editor to share your thoughts: letters@theDP.com.
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