Graphic by Trinity Kendrick ‘21
By Elizabeth Spy ‘23
Staff Writer
When winter break ended this year, many students were excited to come back to campus for the first time since it closed last spring. The campus had reopened, though students had to agree to some restrictions for the sake of the community’s health, such as staying within a 10-mile radius of campus, biweekly COVID-19 testing, mask-wearing, social distancing and certain dining hall restrictions. MHC announced most of these restrictions early and clarified them in messages sent to students and families. But one thing that was never advertised were the changes to the meal plan.
Although in previous years students enjoyed unlimited meal swipes, this semester, the meal plan for full-time residential students has changed to 25 swipes a week. This change came in under the radar for most students — I was not even aware of it until a dining worker mentioned it when I accidentally swiped twice — and school administrators seem to want to keep it that way.
When I went to the College website, I was shocked to see a totally new dining plan page that contains no note that there was ever an unlimited plan or that this meal plan is in any way different from usual. After asking around, I found that nobody I talked to knew anything about the change either.
I understand that the school is hurting for money, and 25 meals a week is, in theory, enough. 25 swipes provides for three meals a day, every day of the week — but the problem is not really the number of swipes — the issue is the lack of communication.
While Mount Holyoke has routinely sent students emails about the other changes this semester, communication regarding the changes to the meal plan have been noticeably absent. And yet, this is one of the most significant changes because of how it affects daily student life. I cannot see how administrators could possibly think a change like this was not worth communicating to students.
Fionna Kennedy ’23 spoke to this, saying, “The lack of transparency … is unsettling and frankly seems like an intentional decision made by the College in an attempt to squeeze more money from students. When institutions have the best intentions in mind, they don’t go about changes under the table.”
As Mount Holyoke tries to attract students and desperately needed revenue back to campus, duplicitous and unexpected moves like this do not help administrators convince wary students that campus is where they want to be.
Besides the fact that the school’s lack of communication violates students’ and parents' trust, students for whom food restrictions may be particularly worrisome are especially vulnerable. Amanda Windsor ’22, president of MHC’s First-Generation and Low-Income Partnership, said, “This change … presents a concern for first-gen [and] low-income students and the future structure of the meal plan.”
Unlike the restricted dining hours, which will end when deemed safe, there have been no announcements about whether the meal plan change is permanent. Additionally, the reduction of meal swipes during a pandemic is questionable. According to The Washington Post, the World Food Program “expects to need to serve 138 million people this year — more than ever in its 60-year history.” To say that now is a bad time to start limiting access to food is an understatement, and brings the school’s commitment to equity and inclusion into question.
Mount Holyoke claims that it values collaboration and discussion with students and the community, but changing the meal plan without a price reduction or an open discussion directly contradicts these values.