You commented; they listened. For the past few months, Sodexho Food Service has been working hard to make menu changes to satisfy the needs of Cornell students. Recent initiatives, including online comment cards, question and answer sessions with the Sodexho management team, and the creation of the Student Senate Food Committee, have brought about important changes in the meal plan and menu. Beginning this fall, students will have three meal plan options to choose from. In addition to the traditional 20 meals per week and 14 meals per week plans, students may also choose the new 180 meals per semester plan.
 Brittany Atchison ’10, a student member of the Senate Food Committee is excited about the adoption of this new meal plan, “[The 180 meal plan] option allows students a lot more flexibility than the 20 or 14 meals a week plan had and I think a lot of students will take advantage of it.”
Rather than having students choose how many meals they plan to eat every week, this new meal plan offers the students 180 meals a semester. Any of these meals can also be transferred into Munch Money at the Ratt.
Bryan Roush ’08, also a member of the Senate Food Committee, explained, “we were trying to find a balance between the demand for transferring money over to the Ratt from normal dining options and people who ate on an irregular basis.”
Returning students should select their choice of meal plans BEFORE arriving on campus. Sodexho has created an online meal plan selection form to pick among the three plan options. Students can refer to the meal plan guide to help them in determining which plan is best for them.
By choosing a plan before the start of the academic year, returning students can begin to use their Munch Money as soon as the first day of classes. Returning students who sign up by August 24 will start their meal plan on Saturday, September 1. Returning students who wait until returning to campus to select their meal plan for the year will automatically be assigned a 20 meal plan to start and their chosen meal plan will begin on September 16.
New students to the college will be able to ask questions about meal plan options and select a meal plan at Validation on move-in day. New students will be able to select their meal plan until September 14 or they will automatically be enrolled in the 20 meal plan.
 In addition to the new meal plan option, Sodexho will also introduce a fully biodegradable container for the Take Out option in mid-September. After debuting at the end of the last academic year, the Take Out option will continue to allow students to take hot food out of Sodexho in a to-go container provided at the door.
Roush commented that the Take Out option helps students because it offers a more equitable substitute for meals than what was previously offered at Brown Bag Bay. Students can access the Take Out option during any of the meal hours as well as right before the lunch hour from 10:00 — 10:45 a.m. Take Out containers will continue to be available at the east entrance to Sodexho.
 In addition to these changes in the meal plan, students will also see some new items on the menu. Sodexho will be featuring new local food source products including a variety of seasonal items such as melons, peppers, onions, potatoes, and cucumbers. Additionally, Sodexho hopes to offer local hormone-free milk, specialty cheeses and Iowa and Midwest sourced meats.
Dave McElhinney, Sodexho General Manager, remarked, “We are trying our best to meet current student trends. Environment, more locally sourced foods, and product quality have been top issues for Cornell students.”
Cornellians can look forward to seeing these positive changes in the dining halls when they come back to campus this fall. Atchison is enthusiastic about the adjustments made to better accommodate the interests of Cornell students, “It is very exciting to see Sodexho implement some of [the food committee’s] ideas and suggestions!” |
