The Trinitonian published an article in February of 2025 laying out the changes made to the student meal plan. Now that these changes are underway, some students have expressed dissatisfaction with this new system. The price for every meal plan option at Trinity increased from last year, but the options are more limited. Last year, students who live on campus had the option to choose from four different meal plans, with one reserved for juniors and seniors.
There are only three meal plan options available to on-campus students, and compared to last year, each plan contains either fewer Bonus Bucks or more swipe limits. According to Kristin Alderete, Chartwells marketing manager, this increase in price reflects new initiatives that Chartwells has already begun implementing this semester.
“In Mabee Dining Hall, we’ve added the Blends & Bowls station, the Smok’d BBQ station, the Made-To-Order Grill station and a brand-new smoker. On the retail side, we’ve updated the menu at Legends Burger Co.,” Alderete wrote in an email.
Based on feedback from surveys and student focus groups conducted by Chartwells and Trinity, Alderete said they have implemented investments in new initiatives geared towards enhancing menu variety, improving facilities and strengthening staff resources. She said Chartwells’ aim is to make Mabee Dining Hall a central gathering point for students to build community.
“Since launching the new meal plans, we’ve seen an increase in participation during lunch compared to the same time last year, which shows students are making more use of the dining hall,” Alderete said.
Fazeleh Mirghassemi, junior business major, participated in giving feedback to Trinity Dining and said that students should take advantage of this opportunity to voice their opinions.
“It’s really, really important for people to constantly be giving their opinion to them, which may be overwhelming, but we are getting overcharged,” Mirghassemi said.
Mirghassemi only eats halal food and expressed that it is hard for her to consistently find healthy and nutritious options to eat at Mabee. Alderete said that the dining hall is taking this into consideration and has made additions to the “Delicious Without” station in Mabee, which is geared toward providing options to students with food restrictions.
However, Mirghassemi said that while she understands it is hard to account for everyone, being forced to purchase the meal plan makes her feel like she is losing money. She said that sometimes, Mabee has great options, but other times, there are no halal foods other than side dishes, and she loses that swipe.
“So that’s real money coming out that you are losing. You’re not getting your worth, you aren’t able to get your proper nutrition,” Mirghassemi said.
Stephanie Suarez, sophomore chemistry major, said that price-wise, you are not getting what you pay for either. She said that the quality of the food has not improved with this new increase in price. While she said that there are more vegetarian options this semester, there is a lack of variety of different meats. As a student-athlete, Suarez said that there are some heavy training weeks when she needs to eat a lot, and the new swipe limit policy restricts these dietary needs.
“I really want to eat more, and I just feel like I’m limited to a few swipes a day. I can’t eat as much as I want to,” Suarez said.
The increase in price for the meal plan can be attributed to many things, but Alderete said that this money is allocated with the student’s experience as a top priority. Changes and improvements are often being made, according to Alderete, and students can give their feedback in an upcoming “Voice 2 Vision” survey conducted by the Trinity Dining Team.
