One of the most crucial aspects of campus life that undergraduates look forward to is residence halls and meal plans. Usually, dining halls and food locations do not receive great responses from the public, and this leads to parents’ worrying about their children’s diet and care. So, what are the dining locations on campus as well as how does the meal plan work at the University of Toledo?
Dining Locations on Main Campus
In regards to the dining locations on main campus, these are the following locations located in the Student Union (visit article on Student Union for more details): Agave, Croutonz, Magic Wok, Pizza Hut, Subway, South Dining Hall, Chick-fil-A, and Steak N Shake. In addition, Ottawa West (residence hall) has another dining hall location. On the Engineering Campus, Nitchke Hall contains Freshens (visit article on 4 Best Dining Locations on Campus).
What are the meal plans?
Each student living on campus is required to purchase a meal plan. For freshmen, the meal plan can be either the 5-Day meal plan or the 7-Day meal plan. Depending on the preference of the student, he or she can choose the meal plan. If the student does not choose a meal plan, he or she will be given the 7-Day meal plan. For Sophomores, in addition to having the 5-Day meal plan and the 7-Day meal plan, they also have the option of choosing a BLOCK 200 meal plan. Juniors and Seniors, along with the pre-existing meal plans, juniors can choose a BlOCK 150 or BLOCK 75 meal plan. For Commuters, they can either purchase any meal plan or not.
What does each meal plan provide?
- 5-Day Meal Plan
- Provides 275 Dining Dollars and Unlimited Meal Swipes per semester ($1840 per semester)
- 7-Day Meal Plan
- Provides 55 Dining Dollars and Unlimited Meal Swipes per semester ($1948 per semester)
- Block 200 Meal Plan
- Provides 100 Dining Dollars and 200 Meal Swipes per semester ($1600 per semester)
- Block 150 Meal Plan
- Provides 115 Dining Dollars and 150 Meal Swipes per semester ($1272 per semester)
- Block 75 Meal Plan
- Provides 175 Dining Dollars and 75 Meal Swipes per semester ($757 per semester)
For more information, visit the following web page for information on food plans
What are Dining Dollars at University of Toledo?
Dining Dollars is a set amount of cash provided to the Rocket Card, and these vary depending on the meal plan (as shown above). These can be utilized at any location including the convenience stores on campus except for the Dining Halls. For example, if one does not have any meal swipes left over, he or she can use dining dollars at the locations listed above. These Dining Dollars carry over to the following semester (fall semester to spring semester) if they have not been used completely; however, after spring semester, they will not carry over to the following school year (fall semester). In addition, Dining Dollars cannot be transferred to a debit account, so one has to either use them up or lose them, so it depends on the individual to use their dining dollars wisely.
What are Meal Exchange Swipes?
Meal Exchanges can be utilized at only the food locations above; they cannot be used at convenience stores located on campus. Depending on the meal plan provided, the number of meal exchange swipes vary. Some food locations such as Magic Wok, Pizza Hut, and Subway do not take meal exchange swipes, so students have to purchase food from these locations with dining dollars. Some locations such as Freshens take Meal Exchange Swipes; however, they accept those depending on the size. For example, if one were to purchase a medium sized drink, then one can purchase the drink with a meal exchange swipe. It sounds funny right? So, cashiers usually end up providing meal exchange swipes for anything. Also, meal exchange swipes do not carry over to the following semester unlike dining dollars (fall-spring semester).
For freshmen, the options to choose a meal plan may not be too many compared to the options provided for juniors and seniors. In addition, it is recommended that one does not pay too much attention to public’s responses to meal plans as each university offers different dining locations, so the quality of the food will definitely vary with location. Finally, resident advisers on campus (visit article on resident advisers for more details) have their residence fees and meal plans waived; however, they are given a different meal plan that may not have all the benefits that freshmen will receive. For freshmen, there is no need to think about being a resident adviser because resident advisers are sophomores and juniors. So, based on the circumstances provided, choosing a meal plan that fits the needs is the best action that one could take!
