BRIANNA HOWARD
Special to The Leader
When navigating life in a brand new college environment, the importance of knowing how to use SUNY Fredonia’s meal plan is not one to bypass.
At SUNY Fredonia, there are nine different meal plans that are available to residential and commuter students. According to the FSA website, https://fsa.fredonia.edu/, “First semester resident freshmen are required to maintain Plan 1.” After your second semester, you’re allowed to switch to any of the meal plans that you see fit.
But what exactly is the difference between a meal and points? Let’s break it down.
A meal is a set amount of money that is meant to be spent at once and is worth $7.50 at most dining halls. For Plan 1, a student will have 19 meals every week. Throughout the week, you may choose whatever dining hall you want to eat at and use a meal. By Sunday morning, the meals reset to the default 19 meals. But beware of the price change for a meal at different places. At Starbucks, the value of a meal is $5.50.
In Plan 1, students also receive 425 points. Points are like real money, so 425 points is $425 that you can spend at the C-Store, Starbucks or any other food place on campus. Unused points from the end of the fall semester may be rolled over to the spring semester once you select a meal plan for the spring. However, any points left at the end of spring will be erased and your account will reset for the fall semester.
For example, if you go to Willy C’s and get half a sub sandwich, you can use your meal to cover the whole cost. But let’s say you’re hungrier, and you want fries and a drink with your sandwich. Now you’ve gone above the $7.50 meal limit and need some extra money, but don’t want to use another meal to cover it. You would use the points to cover the extra few dollars without wasting a meal.
Hannah Porter, a rising sophomore communication studies major, said that for her, the meal plan wasn’t hard to get used to.
She said, “What surprised me the most about the meal plan is how much you end up not using by the end of the semester.” She continued by saying that it’s wise to use up your meal plan so you’re not wasting your money, and that “it will take experimenting with different meal plans to find what works for you.”
So use up your meal plan, and go visit the various places on campus to eat.