2008 Woodie Awards
Student groups rally for rollover
By: Gina Potthoff
Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: Campus
Armed with petitions, flyers and signs with catchy phrases, the student groups FREEDOM and Transcendence protested University Dining Services' intent to get rid of meal plan rollover in the Union yesterday.
Roughly 10 protesters held up signs and asked for student signatures near the main entrance to the Union and in the Falcon's nest around 11:30 a.m.
The protest, which lasted about two hours, was organized in response to Dining Services' decision to eliminate meal plan rollover at the end of the spring 2009 semester and the 4.5 percent increase in meal plan prices next fall.
Flyers passed out by protesters urged students to "Say 'Yes' to Rollover! It is YOUR MONEY."
FREEDOM, a progressive social activist student group on campus, organized the protest and combined forces with Transcendence, a transgender support, visibility, education and civil rights group on campus, to get students thinking about where their money is going.
Transcendence President Joseph Aufenthie said although their group usually protests transgender issues, they also organize for student issues, such as mealplan rollover elimination.
"We are students and this affects the student body," Aufenthie said.
Joelle Ryan, a grad student and member of Transcendence, said Dining Services shouldn't mess with rollover and should give back the money students are putting into their meal plans.
Students can share their meal plan rollover money when buying food for friends, Aufenthie said.
"Rollover builds community that way," he said.
The University wants to go from an a-la-carte system to a swipe system because students won't get their money back at the end of the semester, said junior and FREEDOM member Craig McAdams.
McAdams said meal plan costs will change into another fee, just like the general fee students already pay.
"I personally believe students should have a choice," he said.
Flyers handed out urged students to only get the cheapest meal plan and to call Director of Dining Services Gail Finan to tell them they want to keep their rollover money.
Ryan said forcing students to give money to Dining Services to renovate McDonald dining hall isn't right and wants all students to get involved in the fight against it.
"Whether you have a meal plan or not, it's wrong," Ryan said.
Roughly 10 protesters held up signs and asked for student signatures near the main entrance to the Union and in the Falcon's nest around 11:30 a.m.
The protest, which lasted about two hours, was organized in response to Dining Services' decision to eliminate meal plan rollover at the end of the spring 2009 semester and the 4.5 percent increase in meal plan prices next fall.
Flyers passed out by protesters urged students to "Say 'Yes' to Rollover! It is YOUR MONEY."
FREEDOM, a progressive social activist student group on campus, organized the protest and combined forces with Transcendence, a transgender support, visibility, education and civil rights group on campus, to get students thinking about where their money is going.
Transcendence President Joseph Aufenthie said although their group usually protests transgender issues, they also organize for student issues, such as mealplan rollover elimination.
"We are students and this affects the student body," Aufenthie said.
Joelle Ryan, a grad student and member of Transcendence, said Dining Services shouldn't mess with rollover and should give back the money students are putting into their meal plans.
Students can share their meal plan rollover money when buying food for friends, Aufenthie said.
"Rollover builds community that way," he said.
The University wants to go from an a-la-carte system to a swipe system because students won't get their money back at the end of the semester, said junior and FREEDOM member Craig McAdams.
McAdams said meal plan costs will change into another fee, just like the general fee students already pay.
"I personally believe students should have a choice," he said.
Flyers handed out urged students to only get the cheapest meal plan and to call Director of Dining Services Gail Finan to tell them they want to keep their rollover money.
Ryan said forcing students to give money to Dining Services to renovate McDonald dining hall isn't right and wants all students to get involved in the fight against it.
"Whether you have a meal plan or not, it's wrong," Ryan said.
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