New Points System, New Problems

The New Points System: A Worthwhile Change?
This school year, Bon Appétit gave the Commons a long awaited face lift and added a new section to the dining hall. Besides aesthetic changes, Bon Appétit also made several radical structural changes. Now, two semesters later, it is time to reflect on the new meal system.

Bauccio Commons

Left over points: What are students doing with them?
With the end of the semester drawing nearer, a strange phenomenon has developed: students have too many meal points, and they're doing anything they can to get rid of them. After all, points are a direct representation of money that is supposed to be spent before the year is over—money that cannot be refunded or applied to the upcoming year.

While not all students are experiencing the need to put their meal points to good use, others have been getting creative.

Students have been “shopping” at the Commons and The Cove, purchasing large amounts of grocery items at once, causing inventory issues and a bit of frustration for employees.

“First of all, they’re bringing in equipment that doesn’t belong to them, and with how busy we are, there just isn’t space. It also becomes a fire hazard,” Kirk Mustain, General Manager of Bon Appétit, said. “I’m not opposed to people spending their money any way they can, but we need to find mechanisms other than shopping carts.”

Instead of buying mass amounts of food, other students have been using their leftover points for more charitable causes.

Kenna Hall dorm room

Twila Silvia, a long-time devoted employee in the Commons, has seen firsthand the effects of the new system, especially compared with years past. And when it comes to spending, she agrees that students should put their money to better use than purchasing extra soda and candy.

“I think they could be more effective in how they use their money,” Silvia said. She went on to say she admired the students who donated their points to greater causes.

For example, Freshman Brett Boeh gathered students from her dorm who also had extra points and wound up accumulating 4000 points worth of food. She and her friends then took that food downtown and donated it to the homeless.

“When we looked at our balance, we realized that there was something wrong with the system,” Boeh said. “And in the end, our families weren't too bummed with the way our points were spent.”

Through the E-Scholars program, Junior Kurt Berning and a friend started a non-profit called Global ADE, an organization that helps build and strengthen education in Cambodia.

The Cove

They wanted to host a student fundraiser, but realizing that students typically don’t have thousands of dollars to donate, they decided to fundraise meal points. Their goal was raise at least 2,500 points in the first week.

They surpassed that goal in the first day.

After one week of sitting at a booth in the Commons, they collected over 25,000 points, which attests to just how many students have remaining.


After talking with several other UP students, all of whom have hundreds of leftover points with a week left in the semester, the feeling was the same: something is wrong with the system.




Myth Uncovered
The popular game "Telephone" is notorious for creating mixed messages through word of mouth. Essentially, that’s what happened after a conversation Kirk Mustain had with a student.

Kirk Mustain

The myth on campus is that there is a limit to how much a student can spend per day.

Quite simply, it is not true.

“What we were talking about was the fact that we only have so much storage space and we only get a limited supply of items, and that we might need to think of a limit so that we can have pop available to everyone on campus,” Mustain said. “That conversation took off and about a day and a half later I had parents calling me up.”

So is the myth put to rest?

Bauccio Commons

Mustain went on ASUP President Colin Dorwart’s Facebook page on the morning of April 15th and wrote, “Hey Colin, could you spread the word on campus that there will not be any spending cap at the end of this term.. Maybe that will stop my phone from blowing up with calls...Thx.”

“I figured he had like 1800 friends, so if I put it on there, everybody would see it,” Mustain said. Many of Dorwart’s 1,829 Facebook friends are in fact UP students.

Through word of mouth without misinterpretations, hopefully this myth will be put to rest.

Price Comparisons

The high costs of eating at the Commons may lead some students to move off campus earlier than they had originally planned.

Bon Appétit’s grocery items are of high quality, but students do not have the option of buying non-organic products at a lower price. With Fred Meyer only half a mile away, the convenience factor of dining on campus may be losing its appeal.

"I don't really want to have a meal plan anymore," Sophomore Lisa Nims said. "I know that I can cook for myself and it will be a lot cheaper."

While Fred Meyer prices show cheaper, non-organic products, this chart represents that it is much easier to save money by moving off campus than by staying on campus. This cost difference may be a contributing factor when students are deciding on their living situations.

The Future of the Commons
Despite the struggle to achieve satisfaction among both students and the system, the Commons and the meal plan may be in for another potential upgrade.

Bauccio Commons

On a positive note, the new meal system has been successful in providing more food options for students, as well as reducing waste. Understandably, complete satisfaction among a large population is a challenge, but the Commons assures that it does have the students’ interest in mind.

“I think there’s room for improvement. This is a learning year for us, so we’ll take what we’ve learned this year and move forward,” Mustain said.

Catering to the 1,800 plus population on campus is Mustain’s challenge as the general manager. And as a parent with a child on campus, he wants to see his dollar used effectively as well.

“There’s definitely some kind of need for a convenience store model here on campus,” Mustain said.
He’s looking into providing students with items to purchase so they don’t have to travel to Fred Meyer or Safeway.

Bauccio Commons

In addition to potential new features in the Commons, next year’s meal plans will also include a smaller option of $1,200.

“I’m hoping that people will buy an appropriate meal plan for themselves,” Mustain said. “If you’re not using your dollars, you should buy the smallest one.”

When it comes to the new meal plan system, it’s important for students to remember that improvements often come through constructive criticism. Therefore, students should continue to voice their opinions and address the issues they want to see changed.


Story written by: Gaona Yang, Marit Tegelaar.
Chart by: Marit Tegelaar.
Video, pictures, and editing by: Hannah Schultz.