4/17/2026

Dear Campus Community,

Following yesterday’s announcement about dining program changes for next year, we’ve begun to receive some early questions from students about how the new meal plan structure will work in practice. Thank you to those who have taken the time to engage and ask thoughtful questions.

To support a clearer understanding of how the plan works, we will be hosting a drop-in session next Thursday where students can learn more and ask questions directly in a casual setting.

Open House: Dining Program
Thursday, April 23
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Wheelock Rotunda

Staff will be available to walk through how the plan works and talk through different scenarios.

Many of the questions we’re hearing focus on the weekly meal structure particularly how it works, what it means for flexibility, and how it compares to the current overhead + dining dollar model.

The new model addresses concerns we have consistently heard from students over time: some students run out of dining dollars before the end of the semester and experience gaps in access to meals. This direction has also been informed by ongoing conversations with students, including student employees in dining, ASUPS leadership, and student ambassadors, about how the current model is experienced in practice. The updated structure is intended to ensure more consistent access to meals across the full term. This approach is also consistent with models widely used at residential colleges and universities, though specific features vary by campus.

This represents a shift from the current system, where students manage a set pool of funds over the semester. In the current model, students track their spending over time and make decisions about how to pace their use of dining dollars across the semester. For some students, this can make it challenging to gauge how long their plan will last or how daily choices relate to their overall usage.

The updated model is designed to provide greater transparency and clarity by shifting to a structure where meals are defined and available each week. In addition to these guaranteed weekly meals, each plan includes Flex Cash and Meal Exchange options, allowing for flexibility in how and where students use their meal plan.

While this moves away from an overhead + dining dollar model, it is not intended to reduce the plan’s overall value. Rather, it is designed to make access to meals more consistent and predictable throughout the semester.

For example, under the current model, a student may spend dining dollars at different rates throughout the semester and need to actively manage their balance to ensure it lasts. Under the new model, a student has a consistent number of meals available each week in addition to flex cash, reducing the need to budget across several months and helping ensure access to meals through the end of the term.

We recognize that this is a different approach, and that it may feel like a loss of flexibility for students who are used to managing and stretching their dining dollars over time. At the same time, the goal of this structure is to make it easier to understand what is available each week and to reduce the risk of running out of funds.

For more information—including a full overview and a robust FAQ—please visit:
https://www.pugetsound.edu/dining-event-services/your-meal-plan

Sincerely,

Kimberly Kvaal, Ed.D. | Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Aaron Shook, CPCE | Director of Auxiliary and Business Services