Sunday, May 15, 2011

Dartblog: Hix ‘12 Writes to DDS’ Dave Newlove

In our ongoing struggle against the new meal plan, shared from Dartblog:
Will Hix ‘12 has written to Dartmouth Dining Services Director Dave Newlove with a proposal for a smarter set of student dining choices. We wish Will luck, but we aren’t betting on him.

––– Forwarded message –––-
From: William Hix Date: Sun, May 15, 2011 at 1:44 AM
Subject: Open Letter to DDS Director David Newlove
To: “David J. Newlove”
Cc: “Sylvia C. Spears” , April.D.Thompson@dartmouth.edu, “Callista R. Womick” , Torrey.Barrett@dartmouth.edu, Elisabeth.Ericson@dartmouth.edu, “David A. Rice”, “Blaine W. Ponto” 
Dear Mr. Newlove, 
Thank you for meeting with me this past week to discuss the proposed meal plan options. Each opportunity I have to speak with College administrators gives me a greater appreciation of the difficulties with pleasing a large, diverse group of people. Many of the students who are frustrated with SmartChoice understand that you are trying very hard to incorporate their concerns into the meal plan for next year. I appreciate your support and urge you to consider the following when modifying the proposed plans:
First, the proposed minimum plan, “SmartChoice10,” imposes an effective fine of $3,051 per year on students: 
The current minimum plan, “Mini Green,” costs $3,675 per year for an equal amount of DBA. The current maximum plan, “Super Green,” costs $5,925 per year for the equivalent of $7,749 DBA. The purchasing power for meals on the minimum plan is worth $4,074 per year less than the maximum plan, but the plan costs $2,250 per year less than the maximum plan, an effective fine of $1,824 per year, worth 49.6% of the cost of the minimum plan, levied on students who pick the minimum plan (http://www.dartmouth.edu/dining/plans/). 
Excluding DBA, the proposed minimum plan charges $3,900 per year for 300 meals (10/week, 10-week terms, 3 terms) at a rate of $13.00 per meal. The proposed maximum plan, “SmartChoice20,” charges $4,749 for 600 meals per year for a purchasing power of $7,800 at $13.00 per meal. The purchasing power for meals on the minimum plan is worth $3,900 per year less than the maximum plan, but the plan costs $849 per year less than the maximum plan, an effective fine of $3,051 per year, worth 78.2% of the cost of the minimum plan, levied on students who pick the minimum plan (http://www.dartmouth.edu/dining/dds/smartchoice.html). 
Students who purchased the minimum plan this year will lose an additional $1,227 in purchasing power next year if they pick the proposed minimum plan. The proposed minimum plan should be modified to return the purchasing power penalty of the minimum plan to approximately 49.6% of the cost of the plan. 
Second, the proposed minimum plan ($4,320/year) costs $645 more per year than the current minimum plan ($3,675/year) and is the most expensive minimum plan among the five other Ivy League schools that offer meal plan options: 
$4,320-$4,974 per year Dartmouth SmartChoice10-SmartChoice20
(http://www.dartmouth.edu/dining/dds/smartchoice.html
$4,287-$4,287 per year UPenn BFF-EAT
(http://www.cafebonappetit.com/penn/diningplans/firstyear/
$4,270-$6,220 per year Cornell Basic Bear-Golden Bear
(http://housing.cornell.edu/campuslife/dining/options.cfm
$3,675-$4,200 per year Dartmouth Mini Green-Green
(http://www.dartmouth.edu/dining/plans/
$3,244-$4,158 per year Brown 7/week-20/week
(http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Food_Services/mealplans/index.php
$3,010-$5,473 per year Princeton Block 95-Unlimited
(http://www.princeton.edu/facilities/info/dining/files/next-year-prices.pdf
$1,890-$4,440 per year Columbia Plan D-Plan A
(http://www.dining.columbia.edu/docs/meal-plans-flex/plans.html
Among the five other Ivy League schools with meal plan options, the median minimum meal plan is $1,082 per term and the mean is $1,113 per term. The proposed minimum plan should be modified to cost approximately $1,100 per term. 
Third, the proposed plans include meal credits that expire weekly with no rollover. The plans are the least flexible among the four other Ivy League schools with meal plans that include DBA, as they have the smallest proportion of DBA to total meal plan cost: 
1.000 Dartmouth Green with termly rollover
(http://www.dartmouth.edu/dining/plans/
0.187 UPenn Best Food Fit Plan with termly rollover
(http://www.cafebonappetit.com/penn/diningplans/firstyear/
0.234 Cornell Bear Basic Plan with no rollover
(http://housing.cornell.edu/campuslife/dining/options.cfm
0.120 Brown Flex 460 Plan with termly rollover
(http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Food_Services/mealplans/index.php
0.102 Columbia Plan C with 15 floating meals/semester
(http://www.dining.columbia.edu/docs/meal-plans-flex/plans.html
0.097 Dartmouth SmartChoice10 with no rollover
(http://www.dartmouth.edu/dining/dds/smartchoice.html
Among the four other institutions with DBA, the median percentage of discretionary dining dollars to total meal plan cost is 15.4% and the mean is 16.1%. The proposed meal plans should be modified to use only DBA or restore DBA to at least 15.7% of the total meal plan cost, and should include termly rollover to preserve DBA in student accounts. 
Finally, I would like to offer an alternative to the proposed meal plans that incorporates these suggestions: 
Alternative Meal Plan Summary
$1,658 SmartChoice200: 200 meals/term + $50 DBA
$1,500 SmartChoice140: 140 meals/term + $100 DBA
$1,300 SmartChoice100: 100 meals/term + $150 DBA
$1,100 SmartChoice70: 70 meals/term + $225 DBA
$850 SmartChoice50: 50 meals/term + $150 DBA (off campus only) 
Notes: Meals do not roll over each term but DBA does. SmartChoice200 will be the default plan for first-year students and will prevent students from using too many meals early in the term by limiting the number of meals per day to four. Meals equivalents may be purchased on DBA for $12.50. 1953 Commons should have a small cafe outside of the pay-per-meal zone that charges items to DBA as well as seating for students who are not buying a meal. 
Students should also be allowed to opt-out of SmartChoice altogether in favor of a plan with only DBA ($1,100 minimum). Meal equivalents would cost $12.50 at all locations during the day. Students would be offered a bonus on each dollar deposited in the following brackets: 
$1,100-$1,300: 50%
$1,300-$1,500: 75%
$1,500+: 100% 
Because I only have access to publicly available information about the meal plans, I understand that the alternative plans may require some modification. Please consider the three main suggestions, which are backed by evidential comparisons to the current meal plans at other Ivy League schools. I am excited to continue this discussion with you and the other members of the Dartmouth community during the coming weeks. 
Respectfully submitted,
William R. Hix ‘12