Over the past two weeks, Trinity students have expressed frustration with the changes to the dining plans for the 2026-2027 academic year and the university’s lack of communication regarding them. In early April, students noticed alterations to the meal plans for next year, including price increases and a reduction in the number of meal swipe exchanges. After significant pushback from the student body, Trinity Dining sent out an email to rising sophomores, juniors and seniors on April 7.
“Your concerns have been heard, and in response, the Bronze plan for the [academic year] 2026-2027 will now include three meal swipe exchanges per week, an increase from one,” Vice President of Fianance and Administration Mark Detterick and Vice President for Student Affairs Andrew Wells wrote in the email.
Additionally, Trinity increased the value of these meal exchanges from $8.49 to $8.99 for all the dining plans and altered the Mabee Dining Hall meal swipes to a weekly allocation system, replacing the previous semester-based structure, the email announced. The updates will ensure that students, no matter their meal plan, have flexibility in their on-campus options.
“Students on all meal plans will be able to manage their weekly meal exchanges and Bonus Bucks to purchase lunch five days a week at retail locations,” Detterick and Wells wrote.
However, these revisions were not enough in the eyes of Eden Noelle Avera, first-year psychology major. Avera created a petition protesting the changes soon after students discovered the original plans. She said she was initially upset by the modifications and decided to convert those feelings into action.
The Change.org petition received more than 1,000 signatures, with impacted students sharing numerous words of support and anecdotes. On April 7, Avera posted an update to the form, saying that while the university has revised the plans, the rest of their concerns have gone unaddressed. She plans to contact the administration to discuss the changes in person.
“If enough of us talk about it, if we push hard enough and annoy them hard enough, they have to change something eventually,” Avera said.
One of Avera’s primary concerns was the reduction of meal swipe exchanges across all plans. Avera said that such a limitation on where and how students can get their food is not accessible.
“If they really care about the accessibility of the school to their students, then they will alter the meal plans,” Avera said.
Accessibility was a similar concern for Ellie Augustine, sophomore psychology major.
“I am a vegetarian, and Mabee has some vegetarian options, but other places on campus have a wider variety,” Augustine said. “Getting rid of the meal [exchanges] makes it more difficult for myself and other people with dietary restrictions to get proper protein.”
Hailey Caldwell, first-year ancient Mediterranean studies and Latin double-major, expressed that the meal plans, even with the updates, do not accommodate those with dietary restrictions or the inability to go to Mabee every day.
“If you’re going to force us to live on campus, if you’re going to force us to buy a new plan, you should provide adequate dining options for every student,” Caldwell said.
Coates Student Center is a central part of campus and is the most convenient option for most students, according to Caldwell. If Trinity wants students to have proper nourishment and excel in their classes, then they need to change the meal plans, she said.
The cost of the meal plans was a topic of frustration for Layla Gilley, first-year undecided major, who pays for her own room and board. She said she had to work three summer jobs to pay for university, and will have to work four to pay for next year’s rising costs.
“I feel like I am putting so much work and effort into this, and I’m not getting what I pay back in return,” Gilley said. “I’m trapped in this situation, because it would be so much cheaper for me to not have a meal plan and go to H-E-B to get groceries, but I can’t because I live on campus.”
Gilley also has hypermobility and struggles to walk long distances. Going to Mabee is not an accessible option for her, and the university needs to consider such factors, Gilley said. While they might feel pressured by the onslaught of student complaints, the administration should put themselves in students’ shoes, Gilley said. They should remember how it felt to be a college student and not view this situation from the perspective of an adult with their own house and budget.
“It feels like my voice is not heard, and I know this is not what Trinity stands for,” Gilley said. “I hope that the administration realizes that and listens to us.”
Chase Taylor, Chartwells resident district manager, Elizabeth Narain, director of residential dining, Yessenia Guardado, director of retail dining, Dan Lopez, associate director of dining services, Carlton Hendrix, assistant vice president for campus operations, Michelle Bartonico, senior strategist and project manager, Clinton Colmenares, senior director of news and media strategy, Darlene Baguso, assistant director of student accounts, and Brittany Thompson, executive director of hospitality and auxiliary services, declined to provide comment, referred the Trinitonian elsewhere or pointed to the email update.
On April 15, Detterick and Wells held a staff chat with SGA about the meal plan changes. More details about this can be found in the SGA brief for the April 15 meeting, here.
*This article was updated on April 17 to correct a mistake in the first sentence.
