Medaille’s meal plan and declining balance system is really starting to have an effect on some people’s budgets. Frequently, I hear that for the amount of money we are spending on these plans, the students don’t get any variety.
I have a solution that has been implemented in many other local colleges. Maybe Medaille should get the hint and start to follow. Students should be able to use their declining balance at local restaurants and businesses, or at least get some sort of discount for showing a student ID.
This would also work to eliminate the worry that you are wasting all of the money you don’t spend by the end of the school year. Many students go out to eat and do grocery shopping. This alternative would greatly help students put their money where they want it to go the most.
I frequently see students buy whole packages of candy and pop; if Medaille administrators implemented this system, students could spend their money on a night out or get discount on some groceries.
Of course, these discounts do not have to be monumental. For example, 10 percent is a reasonable amount for students. Not only does it help the students, but it also helps businesses by getting them lots of repeat customers.
I do think that the meal plans should only be usable at the Medaille campus to ensure that students are still purchasing food from the campus. However, having the option to use declining balance at restaurants would be even more beneficial for students. Having the option to use it at restaurants such as Subway, La Nova, Burger King, and maybe even expanding it to downtown Buffalo like Salsarita’s, would help out Medaille and the many participating businesses.
Not only would this benefit Medaille, it would also help Buffalo. Getting students to go out and use their declining balance will definitely help. Also, if students bring friends, either from campus or other schools, that will increase the businesses that offer this as well.
If we have the students going out and economically supporting Buffalo, this would really help Medaille’s status as being Buffalo’s college. Medaille will be established with its students being fully involved in the city of Buffalo. Students would more likely want to spend their money on food that they know and love, and Medaille should be in full support of what the students want.
Medaille could greatly benefit from a plan like this, and students would really get more bang for their buck.
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