The Miami Student Established 1826
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2014
VOLUME 142 NO. 06
MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO
WWW.MIAMISTUDENT.NET
Fee frenzy: Students question meal plan cost MU says $1,725 base fee is down from previous semesters, covers cost of quality facilities DINING LIBBY MUELLER
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Students are beginning to question the $1,725 fee charged to their Diplomat meal plan at the start of each semester. While the university does provide a 60 percent discount for meal plan holders at buffet locations and a 30 percent discount at all other locations, students say they are unclear as to where those additional dollars are specifically going. “I don’t think it’s fair,” first-year Edward Zapanta said. “I don’t know where the money goes, but I assume it goes to general facilities. My parents were very curious about it, and I didn’t know what to tell them. But you don’t really have a choice to not sign up for a meal plan, because you need to be able to feed yourself.” Director of Housing Options, Meals and Events (HOME), Brian Woodruff, tried to clear up any confusion, explaining that the base fee covers a variety of the costs necessary to run the dining facilities. “The program assessment fee portion, the base fee, helps to cover administrative costs, labor, supplies, maintenance and utilities, any of the non-food overhead costs,” Woodruff said. “There’s that portion up front to support the dining program and because of that we offer the discount.” According to Woodruff, MU has worked hard to keep the fee as
close to the actual costs as possible. Because of that, the university constantly re-evaluates the fee. “We’re just beginning the process to determine the rates for next year,” Woodruff said. “We really take [the fee] very seriously and consider the costs as carefully as we can when determining rates to keep the fee as close to our actual costs as possible and keep it reasonable for the students.”
It’s kind of confusing from the students’ perspective. I think Miami could specifically say what the money is going toward.” KATIE GLIEBE SOPHOMORE
This semester, the fee actually decreased from previous semesters. “This year is in fact the first time we were able to lower it,” Woodruff said. Sophomore Katie Gliebe said she thinks the assessment fee is important to cover the costs associated with running MU’s dining facilities, but wishes the university would be more transparent about the costs. “I understand why they have the base fee for utilities, maintenance and such. It’s really important,” Gliebe said. “But it’s kind of confusing from the students’ perspective. I think Miami could specifically say what the money is going toward
online. It just says we have the base fee and doesn’t necessarily have all the stuff it’s going toward.” Under the Meal Plans tab on the Dining website, the section titled “Meal Plan Pricing” does stipulate there is a $1,725 fee and that it “supports the wide variety of residential dining locations, menu options, 24hour service, labor, maintenance, utilities and special dietary services.” A student who goes to look at the pricing for the Diplomat plan can see the total cost for a semester with the fee included (for example, for a $1,100 Diplomat meal plan, the total cost is $2,825). Gliebe said MU has delicious dining options, but she does wish the university would keep its buffet locations. “It’s kind of frustrating going from all open buffet dining halls to now, where everything’s moving to a la carte,” Gliebe said. “That’s kind of hard on the students. Now you can only get so much [with your meal plan money]. But other than that, they offer a lot of options.” Sophomore Emily Tym said she believes the assessment fee for the Diplomat plan is fair, but also believes since MU is offering fewer buffet style dining locations on campus, purchasing food on campus seems increasingly more expensive. “I think it’s fair that price [the assessment fee] should be paid,” Tym said. “But I wish there were more buffet style locations because it gets really expensive to buy a la carte.”
COST COMPARISON
MACCRACKEN MARKET V. KROGER Apples (5 lbs.) $9.25/$5.99 Bananas (5) $5.10/$1.75 Frosted Flakes cereal (10.5 oz. and 15 oz.) $7.75 / $2.99
Pilsbury chocolate chip cookie dough (16.5 oz.) $5.15/$2.69 Jar of Jif creamy peanut butter (16 oz.) $5.05 / $2.99
Land of Lakes butter (1lb) $7.59 / $4.19
Nature Valley crunchy granola bars (box of 12) $5.75 / 2.99
Baby carrots (1 lb) $1.89 / $1.49
Oreo cookies (14.3 oz.) $7.59 / $2.99
Sabra classic hummus (10 oz.) $3.99 / $3.99
KIM PARENT THE MIAMI STUDENT
NAMASTE RIGHT HERE Senior Christian Jaekle enjoys yoga on central quad Monday. He and others in the group organized the event for their entrepreneurship class.
Panel on Russia and Ukraine hits home for MU students & staff WORLD EMILY WILLIAMS
FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT
Ivan Grek, graduate student at Miami and native of St. Petersburg, summed up Russia’s current perception of America in a few key words. “All they think about is money, we are thinking about a great thing, in great Russia,” he said. Sept. 12, students, staff members and other guests filled every seat in Room 111 of Harrison
TODAY IN MIAMI HISTORY UNIVERSITY
DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR »PAGE 2
Hall, leaving some to stand in doorways or perch on steps, to listen to Russia and Ukraine: Inside Perspectives, a panel discussion featuring Grek and four Miami staff members. Primarily, this discussion of “Inside Perspectives” highlighted the misconceptions which have clouded Donetsk, Luhansk, Crimea and the surrounding areas in Eastern Europe, the complexity of the conflicts and their significance to Americans. As both a current Miami
student and citizen of Russia, Grek offered the most personal perception of Russia’s involvement in Ukraine. “For the majority of Russians it is the restoration of historical justice … the restoration of the Russian world,” explained Grek. He spoke of the rebels as “movers and shakers” who, rather than being hungry for violence, see war as a shameful event, but one worth pursuing for the sake of reclaiming a national identity which seemed to have
been lost before Putin came into the presidency. Ben Sutcliffe, an associate professor with the Havighurst Center, recalled his unsettling visits to Russia during that pre-Putin era of suffering nationalism. “I remember going to Russia during the 1990s seeing drunk policemen on the subway with their guns — absolutely terrifying,” he said. Sutcliffe also pointed out another contributing factor to Putin’s ability to rally a formerly
shamed nation behind his recent aggressive efforts. “Although Russia in geography is the largest country, it’s constantly the victim,” he said. During his most recent visit, everyone with whom he spoke, from his taxi driver to a feminist land-lady, to a political neurosurgeon, mentioned Ukraine and their unwavering support for Putin. Not only do Russians feel a need to regain their authority as PANEL »PAGE 9
Sept. 16, 1997, The Miami Student reported on the opening of Kona Bistro and Coffe Bar. Kona replaced the beloved Mama Earth’s coffee shop and has since dropped the “Coffee Bar” from its name. But, 17 years later, the bistro is still going strong. COMMUNITY
KRISPY KUTZ »PAGE 3
CULTURE
OPINION
MOVIE REVIEW
PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE
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SPORTS
FOOTBALL »PAGE 10