A Duke Student Government recommendation to limit increases in dining plan costs failed at the group's last meeting, despite many students' dissatisfaction with the high prices they pay for meals.
The proposal would have suggested that Dining Services freeze the rate of increase in the smallest dining plan to no higher than the yearly rate of inflation. Last year, the cheapest upper-class meal plan rose by 4.3 percent, from $1,150 to $1,190. The mandatory freshman plan rose by 3.7 percent, from $1,640 to $1,700. However, the inflation rate during that time period did not rise over 2.9 percent.
"[These prices are] pretty high, since inflation usually isn't above 3 percent," said sophomore Pavel Molchanov, the DSG legislator who submitted the proposal. Molchanov's plan would have reduced the cost of the lowest-priced meal plans for each campus by three percent starting next year.
Students have long expressed frustration at the high prices of meal plans, and several said costs were rising too much.
"I don't like the idea of raising it every year," sophomore Tolu Falaiye said. "At the end of the semester it gets a little hectic trying to spend all those points."
Others agreed, arguing that pricing should be more reasonable. "If they do raise it, it should be no more than inflation," said junior Janet Ou. "Right now, there aren't that many options on campus anyway."
But Dining Services officials said that any major drop in pricing would result in a drop in quality. "The plan would [have created] a $250,000 deficit right away," said Jim Wulforst, director of Dining Services. "We'd have cereal without milk and pizza without cheese."
Although his initial proposal failed, Molchanov said he expected to see several more dining plan initiatives brought before DSG this year.
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