GW requires that all first-years purchase an all-inclusive meal plan. Naturally, this looks different for students living on the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses. Both plans — “All Access” and “Vern All Access” — cost the same amount, but the benefits accrued from that payment are substantially different. Students living on the Vern are getting the short end of the stick. We have far less access to food options and can’t use our dining dollars at nearby places like CVS, a privilege those on the Foggy Bottom campus have. Some are satisfied with the meal plan and feel it fits well into their schedule. That’s great. But the plan isn’t worth the price for many of us, and we shouldn’t be required to pay for something that doesn’t meet our needs.
To give credit where credit is due, the Vern subset of the meal plan gives $100 extra dining dollars — totaling $375 per semester. This gives us more access to non-GW dining around campus. But that puts the number of extra non-GW dining meals we’re allowed to buy at 10, assuming every meal is exactly $10 — and those who have ordered a Chipotle bowl recently know that this is unrealistic. Buying a $20 meal would bring that number down to 5 extra meals for students on the Vern. It is nice to have some extra cash for these meals, but the difference doesn’t come close to making up for the difference in access to food options.
It can be hard for my friends who don’t live on the Vern to comprehend just how much traveling to and from the Foggy Bottom Campus determines my daily plans. I schedule my classes around meal times to ensure I am always on the Foggy Bottom campus when I get hungry. The Vern does have food — Buff & Brew and Pelham. But there are significant problems with quality and quantity at these locations. Buff and Brew, despite my deep affection for their cinnamon straws, has a problem staying stocked. They are often out of milk and butter. Multiple times, they’ve been out of coffee, despite GW describing the establishment as a coffee shop. And although students from across the campuses can attest that our dining halls can have problems — many of us have fallen victim to eating undercooked chicken — this holds more weight for those on the Vern. There are times when students from Thurston or Shenkman hall journey downstairs to their dining hall to find that two of their stations are down or not to their liking on a particular night. Maybe that student has an allergy, a particular religious restriction or the station is just out of food at that time. That situation is inconvenient, yes, but they at least have several other options. Pelham, on the other hand, is substantially smaller and less stocked than the other halls — if two stations are down at Pelham, I’m out of luck. There is never a food establishment that runs out of ingredients. This points to a lack of care for students living on the Vern.
The use of dining dollars is also an issue on the Vern. I was pretty ill for a week last semester and couldn’t make it to Foggy Bottom on the Vex. I needed medicine, and had I been a student on the Foggy Bottom Campus, I would’ve been able to use dining dollars at the CVS by Western Market. Thankfully, there happens to be a CVS by the Vern — but it doesn’t take dining dollars. For students who pay out of pocket for things, like food and necessities, this inability to use dining dollars in situations like that constitutes a financial burden as well.
The issues presented here are exacerbated for students with allergies, religious obligations or other dietary restrictions. During Ramadan, for example, GW provided meals to pick up for Suhoor, which is commendable. But they only offered this option at District House — nowhere on the Vern had an equivalent, and Muslim students on the Vern were forced to buy their own food with their own money.
Some people might say, “Just go to Foggy then!” It is not that easy. When President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in D.C., a group of friends and I had to walk from the Foggy Bottom Campus to the Vern because the Vexes stopped coming due to the traffic and road closures. On a regular day, including getting on and off, the round trip totals to around 40 minutes minimum and could get up to a little over an hour. I’ve planned my schedule around this, but again, this is just not the same deal that Foggy Bottom students are getting.
I believe an attempt to expand the usage of dining dollars to locations by the Vern would be helpful — particularly the aforementioned CVS. After all, we partner with CVS in the Western Market. Additionally, more meal plan options for first-years, at least those on the Vern, could be helpful to adapt to diverse cultural needs. For example, the “Block 175 – Build Your Own” plan could better suit Vern students, as most of them have access to a kitchen in their hall or floor. They could get groceries from Safeway, which is in between the two campuses in Georgetown, thus allowing them to take one large trip every couple of weeks instead of having to go back and forth for food all the time. These options would give students more choices to suit their individual needs, allowing GW first-years a healthier and more convenient college experience.
As it stands right now, first-years on the Vern are paying far too much for an all-inclusive meal plan with limited options. Until GW ensures there are robust food options on that campus, we should not be required to opt in to the plan.
Prudence Frein, a first-year majoring in international affairs, is an opinions writer.