Because St. Edward’s University has a small campus, students enjoy many benefits. Accurately priced, quality food isn’t one of them.

St. Edward’s should reform the meal plan system and open up the campus to outside sources of food.

Freshmen are required to buy a ridiculous amount of meal plan money and spend it only on campus. Many end up having leftover money on their card at the end of the year and have to waste it on overpriced bulk items in Outtakes.

If the university requires students to pay this much money to spend on food, it should refund them the money they don’t use, or at least allow unused balance to carry over to the next year.

The meal plan system sets students up for failure in their financial lives.

During students’ freshmen years, they are required to buy large meal plans.

They get used to having a colossal amount of food money, which does not prepare them for their years as an upperclassmen, when they have the option to buy smaller meal plans.

Many sophomores, who have just come out of their freshman year, when they spent all they wanted on food, spend their meal plan on expensive Bon Appetit food within the first few months of the semester. They are then left with no money for food.

The meal plan system does not teach incoming students, who have probably always depended on their parents for food money, to budget. In fact, it does the opposite.

The amount of meal plan freshmen must buy alone is ridiculous. Anyone with regular taste buds cannot eat over $1,000 worth of food at even their favorite restaurant without getting sick of it.

Upperclassmen, who have endured the food for multiple years, often complain of eating the same dishes. It seems that Hunt, the Huddle and Ragsdale serve the same foods year after year, repeating the menu frequently. Bon Appetit should either vary its menu or import food from local restaurants.

Vegans, vegetarians and gluten-free students also complain of limited options. Vegans can’t be expected to be satisfied with a veggie patty and salad for every meal. Freshman vegans and vegetarians who have to buy huge meal plans probably end up having to eat off-campus because their food options are so limited.

This isn’t right. Students are required to pay a lot of money for on-campus food; but many aren’t being properly fed, and they have to pay more to eat off-campus. Their meal plan dollars often go unused.

If Bon Appetit offered more food options and varied their menu, maybe this wouldn’t be a problem. But because this is the case, St. Edward’s needs to lighten the requirements that make students, most notably freshmen, buy large meal plans.