New Room/Board rates posted.

So apparently they've changed up the meal plans somewhat.

The #1 Plan is $1620 in Declining Balance Dollars, and the plan costs $2000. Uhh... is it just me, or is that screwed up? What would stop me from just using cash? Did I miss something?

Other than that, the room rate increases seem to be $200-$400, and food went up around $200.

It's always been like that, if you live in a Res. Hall you have to buy into one of the meal plans (I believe they won't let you get the low-end 5 meals/wk plans either).



If you add up the meals ($4/ea) and the declining balance on the other plans, you end up paying more than what it would cost with cash. But of course Res. Life/Chartwell's/someone sticks it to you and makes you pay a fake premium.

What's the whole deal with calling it a "declining balance" anyway? <flameproof> I understand that it decreases with use during the semester--thus it's declining.</flameproof> But why not call it a debit balance, a cash balance, or just a balance? Or points?

I'll rebut my own argument, at least partially. I'm aware that when the idea of a cash balance first came up, "points" were a meal plan unit that, when compared with the cost of the points plan, was valued at about 80-85 cents on the dollar. The "declining balance" term was created to convey the idea that the cash balance was identical to using money at the food court, dollar for dollar. Obviously, though, as we can tell from Plan 1, that's no longer the case.

So why all the hand-waving?

$2100 a semester at Sigma Nu includes 3 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 4 dinners prepared a week.

I understand that. I was objecting to the fact that a plan that gives you $1600 in DBD's costs $2000, when anyone who isn't forced into a meal plan could just pull out $1600 cash and not pay two grand.

plus, you could fork over that kind of cash to Kroger, and get BETTER food.

Or get CHEAPER Dominos, without the bullshit $1 charge. As I always say, when you have a forced costumer, you fuck said customer...Flame away

no shit! they wont even deliver an order of cinnasticks on points even though they're bsing a 1dollar charge and trying to weasel a tip!

So I never participated in the dorms, I noticed that they listed $5100 for a single room in TJ.
Is this for the entire school year or per semester? Either way is a ripoff, but much more so if that is per semester.

All those rates are yearly, well for the Fall and Spring semesters, summer is extra, as is winter break.

So a single is basically $600 per month.

wow, as much as my 4/5 bdrm house w/ 2 garages

That plan is absurd. If you aren't required to buy a meal plan, you can just buy "commuter points" dollar for dollar, minus tax, (and plus a 5% bonus or something, which makes it about dollar for dollar). So if you buy a meal plan in bulk, all at once, you pay more?

Point is, commuter points are optional, so they need to be a better value, but the ones ~half the college is FORCED into paying for, well they can charge whatever nutso prices they want.

damn microeconomics

off campus ftw

this is slightly off topic but i think that one great way to improve what we get with our (overpriced) meal rates would be to have multiple companies serve us food. Bring in a seperate company to TJ, one to Havener, and another at Rayl. Force the caffeterias to compete with price, food quality, service, cleanliness, etc. Then when its time to pay them for their services, pay them depending on who ate where. If i use all my meals at one place, then give all the money to the company serving at that establishment. This would certianly be better than the imposed monoply reslife maintins right now.