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Sadler Dining Center (Photo by Marilyn Hesler, staff photographer)

After extensive engagement with students and families, ���ϲ����� will adjust its meal plan offerings for the 2022-23 school year and beyond. Meal plan eligibility will continue to vary by the student’s year and their on-campus housing selection. Housing, Meal Plan, and I.D. Card (HMPID) Services has , to help students and their families make the appropriate meal plan selection.

2022-23 Meal Plans

Meal plans available this year are:

• First-year students can select one of two unlimited meal plans, the Blue Unlimited or Orange Unlimited. The difference between the two plans is the amount of Meal Plan Dining Dollars, which can be used for food purchases at campus cafés and Schine Dining. The standard (Blue) plan comes with $100 of Dining Dollars each semester, while the Orange plan will include $330 each semester. The price of the default plan for first-year students living in a North Campus residence hall, the Blue Unlimited plan, will decrease for the 2022-23 academic year.
• Second-year students and above will continue to have access to block meal plans.
  • Second-year students living in a North Campus residence hall can select either of the unlimited options or the Block 130 plan, which also provides $200 Dining Dollars each semester.
  • Third- and fourth-year students living in North Campus residence halls can additionally choose the Block 85 plan with $200 Dining Dollars per semester.
• Students who live on South Campus, in the Skyhall residence halls or off campus—who will eat the majority of their on-campus meals at Goldstein Student Center or other Food Services retail locations—may choose to select a plan solely consisting of Meal Plan Dining Dollars.

Students on unlimited plans will be able to swipe into a campus dining center (Ernie Davis, Shaw, Sadler, Graham and Brockway) as often as they would like—increasing flexibility for students who may just want to pop in to grab a coffee or a muffin for breakfast before class, or to return to the dining center to grab an ice cream after dinner.

Responding to Feedback

Kris Klinger, senior associate vice president for auxiliary services, which includes the Housing, Meal Plan, and I.D. Card Services office, says the changes to the meal plan system were largely informed by student and family feedback. “We want to be as responsive as possible to our students’ needs. The best way to do that is to apply their feedback by adding more flexibility and variety to our plans,” he says. “We are confident our students will experience greater dining satisfaction with the revised meal plans and encourage our community to continue providing candid feedback.”

Beginning in the 2023-24 academic year, the unlimited option will become the default option for all first- and second-year students living in North Campus residence halls. “Dining centers should be spaces where students gather with their friends and build community. No one should be worrying about not having enough swipes,” says Klinger. “Setting the unlimited option as the meal plan for all first- and second-year students on North Campus—and lowering the price of that plan—helps address those concerns.”

Dining Center Upgrades

Also underway is a series of improvements to the five campus dining centers, some of which were piloted in the Spring 2022 semester, and others will be introduced starting in fall 2022. Under the direction of Jon Webster, executive director of hospitality, and Eamon Lee, Food Services’ executive chef, the Food Services department will introduce a series of franchise-style concepts at every dining center. In response to feedback received from the student-led Food Services Accountability Committee, the new concepts reflect how students prefer to eat—at restaurants (like Chipotle or CoreLife Eatery) that allow for customization of each order and quick service.

The first to be introduced on campus in spring 2022 was La Naranja, a Chipotle-style bowl concept. It was followed by a fried chicken sandwich concept and a breakfast burrito concept. Additionally, students expressed concern that they didn’t have time between classes to stop in and eat a sit-down lunch. As a result, Food Services began offering a sandwich, wrap and salad grab-and-go station at Ernie Davis, the dining center closest to the center of campus.

More enhancements will debut in August, says Webster, who received a weekly feedback report from the Food Services Accountability Committee throughout the Spring 2022 semester.

“We want to meet our students where they are,” Webster says. “The adjustments to the meal plan are one part of the effort, but other, equally-important parts, are the type and quality of food that students access through their meal plan, and the speed at which that food is delivered.”

Edit Meal Plan Selections Beginning June 3

New and returning students can edit their meal plan selection on the MySlice Housing self-service page beginning June 3. Students can alter their meal plan choice up until the end of the second week of the Fall 2022 semester, though any student who feels they need a more robust meal plan can always increase the number of meals they need throughout the semester.

Students and their families can learn more about meal plans on the . . Questions about meal plans? Contact housing@syr.edu or call 315.443.2721. Questions about Food Services? Email mealtalk@syr.edu.