College Requiring Me to Purchase a Meal Plan

[Luke94]

Hi,

I'm currently entering my senior year of college at Spring Arbor University in Michigan. I'm going to be living on campus, and would like to go without a meal plan this year (in order to save $16/meal), and just cook my own food. However, the college requires residents of university housing to have a meal plan unless I have a "serious medical condition". So basically I have two questions:

1. Can they legally require me to purchase a meal plan?
2. If so, what steps (if any) could I take that may create a way to get out of a meal plan?

I've gotten through college debt-free so far by being money-savvy, and it irritates me that a senior can't opt out. Thanks for your help!

 

[Proserpina]

Hi,

I'm currently entering my senior year of college at Spring Arbor University in Michigan. I'm going to be living on campus, and would like to go without a meal plan this year (in order to save $16/meal), and just cook my own food. However, the college requires residents of university housing to have a meal plan unless I have a "serious medical condition". So basically I have two questions:

1. Can they legally require me to purchase a meal plan?
2. If so, what steps (if any) could I take that may create a way to get out of a meal plan?

I've gotten through college debt-free so far by being money-savvy, and it irritates me that a senior can't opt out. Thanks for your help!

If that's a condition of living on campus, then yes - obviously they can do that.

http://www.arbor.edu/student-life/meal-plan-info/

 

[Luke94]

Thanks, that's what I figured, but just wanted to make sure. Any thoughts or suggestions on ways I could get around that stipulation?

 

[LdiJ]

Thanks, that's what I figured, but just wanted to make sure. Any thoughts or suggestions on ways I could get around that stipulation?

Live off campus?

 

[Luke94]

If I have to do that, I will. But I've lived on campus my entire time there, and would like to finish it out on campus with friends.

 

[Proserpina]

If I have to do that, I will. But I've lived on campus my entire time there, and would like to finish it out on campus with friends.

Your choice.

 

[Luke94]

Thanks for the optimism guys

 

[cbg]

There is no law you can invoke that will force the college to allow you to opt out of the meal plan. Your choices are to live on campus and buy a meal plan, or live off campus and not buy one. There is no in between.

The school has no incentive to allow you to opt out. They are on firm legal ground. Any bending is going to have to be by you.

 

[quincy]

There are on-campus apartments and on-campus houses. If you are mostly concerned with living on campus, you can live in one of these with your friends and you have the option of signing up for a meal plan or not ...

... unless you are for some reason enamored of (with) dormitory living. Most seniors aren't.

 

[stealth2]

Or you do what many students do and buy the lowest available plan and cook the rest of your meals.

Consider yourself lucky - my daughter's college requires on-campus housing (with limited exceptions) AND a full meal plan. So I'm paying for a room which will be rarely used and food which will not be eaten. And groceries as she cooks for herself anyway.