“Do you think I can take this wrap out of the cafeteria?”

A student in our late-night group had to leave early to start on his homework, but he still was hungry. Knowing he already used his Combo-X-Change earlier in the afternoon, he had to resort to stuffing the wrap into his jacket.

There was an array of responses from the group I was eating with at Brody Square. Some said it was fine because they saw people walk out with ice cream cones or bagels on a regular basis. Surely the cafeteria wouldn’t mind, as long as the food item was easy to eat on the go? Others thought it was OK, even with a big wrap; as long as he hid it well enough in his jacket.

Currently, the cheapest on-campus meal plan is $2,585. This includes unlimited access to residential dining halls every day and a daily (Monday through Friday) Combo-X-Change. Given the high cost of MSU’s meal plan and the way it is advertised as “unlimited,” it’d make sense for students to be able carry food from the cafeteria, as long as they’re not taking utensils with them.

Many of the students I was sitting with in the cafeteria agreed. Even though they pay for meal plans, students still have to be discreet when they take food out of the campus cafeteria.

I remember this being a problem when I lost my ID card last semester. Before I got a replacement two days later, my friends had to smuggle sandwiches out of the cafeteria so I could eat dinner. If I had addressed this problem at the cafeteria, I would have been charged for my extra meals. Even though my friends had unlimited access to food, it was amazing how they still had to smuggle food out of the cafeteria. It’s pretty absurd the on-campus dining program can micromanage its business after students purchase unlimited meal plans.

I understand MSU would need to monitor the amount of food it purchases so that it doesn’t have a surplus or shortage. But it is crossing a line to deter people from using their meal plans to the fullest extent.

Given how many students currently are on student loans and can’t afford to buy their own food through other means, it makes sense that they’d turn to the cafeteria and Combo-X-Change.

If every business in America ran under this notion, where they can take back certain services originally part of the deal, the economy would be in a state of turmoil.

Overall, I still love the food services offered on campus. The convenience and the variety is an incredible experience on its own. I just hope that Sparty’s Convenience Stores and the on-campus dining plans would properly state the limits of their business. That way, students will know what they are getting themselves into when they want to run another food drive in the future.