Michigan Tech meal plan hard to swallow

This year Michigan Tech has opted for an “as much as you can eat” anytime you want to eat meal plan regime. A very wonderful adjustment from previous years is that of the hours in which the dining halls are open. They are open until 9 p.m. Incredible! Students no longer have to starve if they miss dinner. Although an all-day access setup for the students can be convenient, I find it unnecessary. We are busy students, true, but I find the idea of “eating out” at a buffet for every meal quite ridiculous, especially for those who are forging their way to make a living in the world. There is already a “Freshman 15,” which does not need to be increased. Once students decide to move off campus or dismiss the idea of a meal plan, they have to feed themselves. The top category tends to be Ramen, which is taken as a joke, but students don’t know how to feed themselves properly with the allotted time. There is a constant flow of homework and studying, and we must each schedule ourselves uniquely. Since students do not have to make our own food, they do not account for that part of the process. After getting into the groove of ready-to-eat food whenever you want it, there is a failure to develop certain home-making skills and basic knowledge for cooking and preparing meals. After all, we are habitual creatures. Now that the buffet is extended to be unlimited, there is a slight problem. It is more expensive, but a person can only eat so much. So it most likely isn’t volume students pay more for but convenience. Students are busy, but even more so, they are generally poor. The cheapest meal plan available for students is $1,760 a semester for about $110 a week and $15.71 a day. Of course students do not have to figure out recipes, go grocery shopping or prepare meals, to which some of the cost can be attributed. But I know for a fact you can eat for less than $110 a week and even and treat yourself to things like pomegranates and baklava. The prices of the meal plans went up as a result of having all-day access, unlimited swipes, more employee hours and/or whatever other reasons. Some people may have the money for such a plan, but it seems more sensible to have alternatives for students who want to eat in the dorms but not pay for unlimited access. Especially when they know they will only be in the dining halls twice a day (for example). Also, students may want to treat themselves to outside sources of food. This becomes redundant spending easily after purchasing one meal plan. Of course, Dining Services does a great job, but perhaps they went a little overboard. The idea of unlimited access sounds nice “¦ I mean, you can go swipe and get some grub anytime you want, right? However, as “convenient” and satisfying this meal plan might be, I still question its validity. I do not see how it is beneficial to the well-being of students. As I have said, we are all preparing for adult life. I am not trying to enforce that all the problems I have stated are newly formed by the new unlimited meal plans, but that existing issues may be aggravated as well as having new concerns raised.