Office of Residence Life| Phone: | (800) 287-7543 |
| Fax: | (570) 389-5070 |
| Email: | buhouse@bloomu.edu |
| Address: | 400 East Second Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815 |
How meal plans work »
A guide to how campus meal plans work 2013 - 2014- What's it all about?
- Meal plans
- Where to eat? / What payments are accepted?
- Scranton Commons
- Husky Lounge
- Italian Kitchen
- Monty's
- 2nd Street Café
- Starbucks
- Roongo's
- Espresso Cart
- Cash Equivalency
- Meal Exchange
- FLEX dollars
- BU Bucks
- Husky Gold
- Understanding what you are eating
- Services available
- Meal zones
- Special meals, other items of interest
- Campus Dining Website
- BU Food Service Committe
- Refunds and/or reimbursement
- Signing up for a meal plan
- Scranton Commons Layout
- General dining guidelines
- Cost of a meal plan
- Frequently Addressed Issues by the Food Service Committee
- Why are the rules the way they are?
- Why can't FLEX dollars be rolled over beyond the fall to spring semesters?
- Why are the 19/14/10 meal per week or 175 or 275 Block meals per semester the only plans available to lower campus students? Why do I have to have a meal plan if I live on lower campus?
- Can I change my meal plan/how?
- I have an individual complaint/observation about the dining service program; how do I address is?
- Why can't I use Cash Equivalency in Starbucks, Roongo's or 2nd Street Café?
- What's it all about?
Bloomsburg University has retained "ARAMARK" management services to provide the dining service operation on our campus. ARAMARK has served Bloomsburg University for the last eighteen years. The total campus food services operation exceeds 10 million dollars annually.
- Meal plans
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There are four "Traditional" and three "Block" plans available each fall and spring semester. The traditional meal plans offer 19, 14, 10, or 5 meals per week. The block meal plans offer 275, 175 or 75 meals per semester. All meal plans come with your choice of $200 or $250 FLEX (explained below) and "Guest meals." All traditional meal plans come with Premium Points (see next paragraph). Meal plan reductions or cancellations are permitted during the first week of the fall and spring semesters only. Student may opt to increase their meal at anytime. All meal plans renew themselves between the fall and spring semester unless modifications are made prior to the end of the first week of the spring semester. Meal plans are billed on a semester basis. There are no adjustments made in price or meals as a result of the University closing for planned or un-planned events.
- Traditional Plans
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Students may eat three meals out of the four meal zones offered Monday through Friday (two out of the three zones offered Saturday and Sunday): breakfast, (brunch), lunch, dinner and late night, daily up to the number of meals available based on the meal plan chosen. Students living in lower campus residence halls must opt for a 19, 14 or 10 (275 or 175 Block, explained below) meal plan only. Meal plans reset each Monday for Breakfast and run through late night on Sunday. All traditional meal plans include Cash Equivalency and Meal Exchanges in the Husky Lounge, Italian Kitchen and Monty's. Meals not consumed during the week do not carry over to the next week. Each traditional meal plan has five (5) guest meals per semester associated with it. They can be used to redeem a meal, from the plans available balance, at any food service location that offers all-you-care to eat or Cash Equivalency for a friend or relative. Each traditional meal plan comes with "Premium Points" based on the meal plan chosen. Premium Points can be redeemed at any campus dining facility offering special meals indicated by the "Premium" sign. Premium Points associated with each meal plan are as follows:
19 Meal Plan - 2500 premium points 14 Meal Plan - 2100 premium points 10 Meal Plan - 1900 premium points 5 Meal Plan - 1700 premium points - Block Plans
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Block meal plans can be redeemed throughout each fall and spring academic semester. Students can redeem meals at the pace they set with minor restrictions. 175 and 75 Block plans offer the ability to redeem one meal per zone for every zone offered each day. The 275 Block allows unlimited access to all facilities that offer all-you-care to eat or Cash Equivalency with the reduction of one "meal" from the meal plan balance for each entry/order. All block meal plans include Cash Equivalency and Meal Exchanges in the Husky Lounge, Italian Kitchen and Monty's. Each Block meal plan has five (5) guest meals per semester associated with it. They can be used to redeem a meal, from the plans available balance, at any food service location that offers all-you-care to eat or Cash Equivalency for a friend or relative. There is no reimbursement for any unused meals left over at the end of the semester.
- Where to eat? / What payments are accepted?
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All campus dining facilities are available to meal plan holders, University personnel and visitors. Meal Plan holders may use: "meals" (from their meal plan balance within the use and acceptance rules), FLEX, Husky Gold, cash or credit (VISA and Master Card only). Husky Gold, cash and (VISA and Master Card only) are accepted in all campus dining facilities for guests and visitors to campus. Hours of operation in each facility are listed on the campus dining website:http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSE/Bloomsburg/Locations/
- Scranton Commons
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Is the primary dining facility on campus that serves an average of 14,000 meals weekly. It is an "all-you-care to eat" facility that is similar to a food court, and offers a varied menu that repeats every five weeks. One "swipe" of a meal plan holder's card gains entrance to a wide array of food offerings. Breakfast is "made to order" daily. Several different entrees are offered during each lunch and dinner period. The "Commons" features a Mongolian Grill, Rotisserie oven, and flame broiled grill. Everyday in the Scranton Commons, soups, breads and ice creams are made fresh on the premises, and a more than sixty item salad bar is prepared. Made to order pasta dishes and a self-serve deli featuring Panini's, melts and create your own sandwiches are available as well as an extensive dessert display. Homemade cookies are made right in the dining room. At times you can choose a special food item that is offered for a small amount of FLEX, BU Bucks, Husky Gold or Premium Points. Beverages include a variety of carbonated and non-carbonated Pepsi products, four varieties of fruit juices and milk, coffee and tea.
- Husky Lounge
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Located in the Kehr Union, the Husky Lounge offers a variety of grilled and deli items, along with comfort foods, snacks and smoothies. Students can use their meal plan in this facility during the hours of operation, which provides flexibility to accommodate busy schedules. Meal Exchange and Cash Equivalency are accepted in the Husky Lounge.
- Italian Kitchen
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Located on the ground level of the Scranton Commons, the Italian Kitchen (IK) is a full service pizza and sandwich shop. Deli wraps are grilled on site and the brick oven bakes until 8:30PM daily. Meal Exchange and Cash Equivalency are accepted in the IK.
- Monty's
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Situated on the upper campus overlooking the Susquehanna River valley, Monty's specializes in serving students all types of food, from deli wraps to NY strip steaks. Patrons can choose from a variety of grilled items, comfort foods, and a full deli. Meal Exchange and Cash Equivalency are accepted in Monty's. Monty's also hosts Restaurant Night, a touch of "eating out" with the convenience of staying on campus.
- 2nd Street Café
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Features a coffeehouse atmosphere with in-house baked pastries and confections. It is located on the lower level of the Scranton Commons near the amphitheatre and cyber-lounge.
- Starbucks
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The name gives it away. Located in the Andruss Library, Starbucks is a full service coffeehouse offering nationally recognized coffee, specialty drinks and food items.
- Roongo's
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Situated on the main level of the Student Services Center, Roongo's specializes in grab and go Panini's, wraps and signature soups. A combination of hot and cold food items are offered daily.
- Espresso Cart
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Located on the ground floor of the Student Services Center adjacent to the PSECU e-center and Commuter Lounge, it is the fastest way to get a cup of Java Citysm coffee.
- Cash Equivalency
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Is an enhancement to meal plans that provides students with ability to use their meal plan in locations other than the Scranton Commons. However, it was not designed to replace the main dining program offered in the Scranton Commons. Cash Equivalency is a cash amount that is credited towards the purchase of food items in the Husky Lounge, Italian Kitchen, and Monty's. A "meal" is deducted from a student's meal plan balance and a cash equivalent value is applied toward the total cost of items purchased. Any outstanding balance can be paid for with FLEX, Husky Gold, cash, or credit card (VISA and Master Card only). The average outstanding balance of items above the Cash Equivalency is less than $1 per order. Each of the three facilities mentioned that have Cash Equivalency also offer "Meal Exchange" which are full meals that only require the redemption of one meal from a student's meal plan balance. There is no reimbursement or crediting of any cash equivalent amount that is in excess of the item(s) purchased.
2013 - 2014 Cash Equivalency rates Breakfast - $4.85 Lunch - $4.85 Dinner - $4.85 Late Night - $4.85 - FLEX dollars
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Each meal plan comes with either $200 or $250 in flexible dollars. FLEX was added to meal plans to provide flexibility much like the Cash Equivalency. FLEX can be used in many ways, for example: supplementing a meal beyond the Cash Equivalency rate, a snack anytime during the day, a pizza in the evening, a catered event with friends, an after dinner flavored coffee or homemade candy from the 2nd Street Café. It can be used for a special food items offered at any of the campus dining facilities, or to purchase a gift basket or birthday cake for someone special. The FLEX-ibility is yours. FLEX dollars can be added to your account in any increment above $25, by going to Myhousing at http://housingweb.bloomu.edu. Off campus or upper campus students can opt to have a FLEX-only plan. A FLEX-only plan must be pre-paid in advance with a minimum starting balance of $100.
Very Important Note:
FLEX dollars are only available during the fall and spring semesters of each year. Any remaining FLEX dollars automatically carry over from the fall to the spring semester each academic year. However, any remaining FLEX dollars at the end of each spring semester are forfeited completely if not used. FLEX dollars must be spent within the academic year that they are posted and cannot be used to "pre-pay" for an event or services or be exchanged for any type of gift certificate. - BU Bucks
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BU Bucks are prepaid value for campus dining service that is credited to Bloomsburg University faculty and staff accounts. BU Bucks are redeemed using the University-issued ID Card. Currently, any deposit into the Bonus Point program provides the depositor 10% more BU Bucks over the purchase price (offer subject to change without notice). BU Bucks can also be given as a gift card. BU Bucks are available year-round and carries forward from semester to semester.
- Husky Gold
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Husky Gold is a single declining balance, multipurpose fund used on Bloomsburg University's campus that facilitates cashless commerce transactions for users and merchants who participate in the program. Husky Gold is available to any Bloomsburg University community member who is provided an Active Directory account by the University's Office of Technology. Husky Gold is available year-round and carries forward from semester to semester. Husky Gold is accepted at all campus dining facilities.
- Understanding what you are eating
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All food items in the Scranton Commons, and most other dining facilities, are labeled with the name of the food item. Nutritional information on all food items can be accessed through any kiosk located in the dining facilities or online at http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSE/Bloomsburg/.
- Services available
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- A Registered Dietician is available to any student wishing to discuss diets, calorie intake, or anything related to the dining service.
- Special dietary requirements are accommodated with a doctor's note by contacting a dining service manager.
- Sick trays are available for pick up by another student if accompanied with a notice from the Student Health Center or doctor.
- Take Away lunches are available for students whose academic schedule requires them to be off campus during meal zones. Student must coordinate with the campus dining service management at least 24 hours in advance to schedule a take away meal
- Meal zones
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Meal plan holders are entitled to redeem meals in zones up to the number of meals per week (per semester for Block plans) purchased and within the use and acceptance rules associated with the plan chosen (see above). Facility hours of operation take precedence over meal zone times and do not always correspond with each other. Meal zones are as follows:
Breakfast 7:00AM – 10:29AM Lunch 10:30AM – 3:59PM Dinner 4:00PM – 9:29PM Late Night 9:30PM – 12:00AM (Midnight) - Special meals, other items of interest
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- Go to www.bloomu.edu and click over the "Today" page for the daily menu items of interest and a link to the BU Campus Dining web page http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSE/Bloomsburg/.
- The BU Food Service Committee meets approximately every three weeks to discuss upcoming events, specials, issues related to the campus dining program and sampling of new menu items and Premium meals. Members of the committee serve as representatives various student groups. They are educated on the dining service program and serve as information providers to their respective group.
- Refunds and/or reimbursement due to academic, work or athletic team conflicts are not permitted. If an academic conflict arises, a "Take Away" meal may be provided by the dining service upon prior coordination.
- Signing up for a meal plan can is done by going to MyHousing at http://housingweb.bloomu.edu. For On-campus students (residence hall, upper and Kile apartments) a meal plan may be selected as part of the housing agreement. Off-campus students can also select a meal plan only without a housing contract through MyHousing at http://housingweb.bloomu.edu.
- Scranton Commons Layout
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Upon entering the main level of the Scranton Commons, you will find menu boards located before the checker(s) indicating the entrees available during that meal period. The checker will "swipe" your ID (if on a meal plan), to provide you entrance into the dining room. Trays and silverware are available and conveniently located on your way toward the various stations (except on Trayless Tuesday). You can then opt for any food item offered at any of the stations. The servers will only give one portion at a time to reduce food waste, which results in less costly meal plans. However, you are welcome to return as many times as you like. Once finished, trays, dishes and silverware should be dropped off at the dishroom located near the exit.
- General dining guidelines
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- Personal conduct should not be offensive or obtrusive to others.
- Language and dress should be appropriate for dining in a public area. Vulgarities are not acceptable.
- Conversations should be kept within the table you are sitting at.
- Throwing of food is prohibited and subject to disciplinary action
- Your student ID is your meal ticket. You must have your ID to use your meal plan. Allowing someone else to use your meal plan is prohibited and is subject to a $10 fine.
- Abuse or non-compliance with dining service personnel will not be tolerated and is subject to disciplinary action.
- All patrons are responsible for bussing their table and taking their tray, dishes and silverware to either the dish room (Scranton Commons) or trash can (all other facilities.)
- All items, including food, must remain in the dining facility unless consumed or designated for "take-out." A single piece of fruit, ice cream cone or small hand carried dessert is permitted to be taken from the Scranton Commons.
- Cost of meal plan
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Bloomsburg University's meal plans are very cost effective compared with local and other State System of Higher Education Universities. We are very proud to have one of the least expensive meal plans, while maintaining one of the highest quality programs. You can use your meal plan at any other State System of Higher Education University that you visit that retains ARAMARK as their campus dining provider. Arrangements can be made through Bloomsburg's campus dining management. You can help keep the quality high and the costs low by not wasting food. Less waste today can result in added specials and menu items being offered. You pay for your meal plan, we manage it. We would like to manage your money back to you, help us help you.
- Q: Why are the rules the way they are?
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A: Our contracted dining service is based upon a program that was defined by the University. Based on that program, the contractor responded to us with their method to accomplish it and how much it would cost. Part of the development of the program was to define points of service, hours of operation, meal plan rules, etcetera. The parameters by which these items were developed were to provide the highest quality program at the lowest price possible. There are two relevant phrases that come to mind "Time is money" and "There is no such thing as a free lunch." The more time that is provided (hours of operation), in conjunction with reducing parameters (relaxing usage rules), will result in less value that you will realized and will ultimately cost you more for the same program you have now. If the money you spend is paying for low value items (i.e. keeping facilities open when the business volume does not offset the direct and indirect costs associated with running it) than you will either pay more for items to offset the operational costs, or specialty items, and variety, will be reduced because the financial base is eroded. We built the program being very mindful of the amount of money you would have to pay for a meal plan. Additionally, the meal plan prices were submitted with a "Missed meal factor" built in. To be competitive, the dining service established their prices guessing that students will not consume all of the meals they are eligible to eat and accepts (financial) risk if a student does. This is the reason why we do not permit someone else to use your meal plan. Also, we built the program to provide flexibility to accommodate students' very busy schedules. It is not difficult to figure out the cost per meal if you figure out the number of meals you have available in a semester and divide that by the meal plan cost. You will quickly see the value of "Missed meals."
- Q: Why can't FLEX dollars be rolled over beyond the fall to spring semesters?
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A: FLEX dollars are really not dollars at all. They are a flexible piece of your meal plan that happens to correspond to a cash value if you were a cash customer. The usage rules are very similar to how your tuition works. If you skip class, the University does not refund you the proportional cost of your seat for the skipped class in the classroom; you pay a lump sum for the class whether you attend or not. When you sign up for a meal plan you are provided a lump sum package with no refund or rollover terms. With a signed contract from you, the dining service contractor has the ability to staff, purchase food and plan to accommodate the needs and wants of the collective sum of meal plan holders. Only a fraction of the price that you pay is for actual food, a good portion of the price you pay is for costs not associated with actual food. Those costs include but are not limited to: labor, investment, renovations, equipment, utilities, insurance, administration, etcetera.
- Q: Why are the 9/14/10 meal per week or 175 or 275 Block meals per semester the only plans available to lower campus students? Why do I have to have a meal plan if I live on lower campus?
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A: Residence Halls do not have sufficient accommodations for student to cook on their own. We seek to provide a balanced diet to best support good nutrition and academic pursuits.
- Q: Can I change my meal plan/how?
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A: Yes, with conditions. Reductions may be made within the first week of the fall and spring semesters only. Increases may occur anytime.
- Q: I have an individual complaint/observation about the dining service program; how do I address is?
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A: If you have an individual issue (food is cold, employee was not courteous, you notice students stealing, etcetera) ask for a manager. In all locations there is at least one manager on duty at all times to assist in issues and answer questions. An issue is best dealt with, by all parties, at the time it occurs. It is often difficult to make improvements or corrections days and/or weeks after the fact and almost never by keeping it to yourself or your friends.
- Q: Why can't I use Cash Equivalency in Starbucks, Roongo's or 2nd Street Café
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A: Those facilities were not designed for Cash Equivalency mostly due to their size. If Cash Equivalency were offered there the lines would be unmanageable and overall satisfaction in those facilities would decline. However, you are welcome to use FLEX, Husky Gold, cash or credit (VISA and Master Card only) for a change of pace.
Frequently Addressed Issues by the
Food Service Committee