Loyola New Orleans to Make Commuter Meal Plans Mandatory in 2016

by Mike Buzalka

Loyola University New Orleans will require all new commuter students to purchase meal plans beginning in fall 2016, according to a letter sent out to parents and students on March 13. The communique follows a period of confusion prompted by an earlier notice that had said the policy would be implemented in fall 2015 and would apply to all commuter students aged 18 to 22, with a minimum commitment of $500 a semester. The March 13 letter, sent under the signature of Dr. M. L. ‘Cissy Petty,’ vice president of student affairs and associate provost, makes no dollar commitment but says only that Loyola is "currently conducting a price study with institutions of similar size and demographic to determine an equitable amount for the required plan."

The original mandatory commuter meal plan policy was reported in the campus paper The Maroon in a story dated March 10, and the Loyola Campus Dining website at the time included a notice that read "Beginning Fall 2015, Commuter students must carry a minimum of $500 Wolf Bucks per semester, and may choose any higher plan at their option."

The March 13 letter reads in part, "The new program will be implemented in fall 2016 with significant benefits to our campus community. All new commuter students, defined as first-years and transfers between the ages of 18-22, will be required to participate in the Loyola Dining program beginning in fall 2016. We are currently conducting a price study with institutions of similar size and demographic to determine an equitable amount for the required plan. The modified Wolf Buck plan participation will follow students entering in the fall of 2016 throughout their matriculation at Loyola. All residential students will maintain a meal plan requirement according to our current policy."

Loyola New Orleans has a dining partnership with nearby Tulane University but any such policy change at Loyola does not impact Tulane, according to Gregory Yost, senior manager of media relations for Sodexo, which operates campus dining services at both Loyola and Tulane.