Wow, there are a lot of Dopers in Tuscaloosa these days, huh?
The meal plans are ridiculous. I never used mine, because Fresh Food wasn’t open the one semester I had one and everything you could eat with them was unhealthy or unappetizing. Maybe they’ve added some more options.
My personal favorite combo was a slice of pizza, a bread stick (or a side salad), a cookie, and a twenty ounce soft drink. No exceptions. Want water or juice? You can’t use the meal plan. You’re not that hungry, so you don’t want a cookie or a bread stick? You can’t use the meal plan. They’re out of twenty ounce cups? You can’t use the meal plan.
Oh God yes. And don’t show up for lunch after 12:30, because half the time everything in the salad bar will be gone (if we’re talking about the Ferg) and they won’t replace it. Ditto on the soups. I ate a lot of sushi, but I didn’t have a meal plan then, so it didn’t matter.
It’s a disgrace. Then again, I dislike any policy by any university that is like a babysitter–mandatory campus living, mandatory meal plans, even mandatory class attendance (but I don’t have a problem with participation grades, that’s a different story). I am an adult now, I don’t want anyone to hold my hand anymore, and I think it encourages childishness in people who are too old to be childish.
