I am a freshman here have experienced some problems with the dining services here. I became a vegetarian at the end of September last year when the food was great. However, the quality in the cafeteria declined as the semester wore on and continues this semester. Recently, I have been getting stomach aches and digestive problems every time I eat at the cafeteria.

     I try to eat at the vegan station but they are not open during the weekends. And many times there are zero options available among the omnivore line, and if there are any options they aren’t published clearly.

Even the omnivores are having problems eating the food at the Cafeteria.

With all of this in mind, I have been driven to the idea of buying my own food and cooking it myself. But how can I if I must have a meal plan? Why must I pay over a thousand dollars for a meal plan that I will not use? Even more so, why take off the lowest meal plan (15 meals a semester)?

I heard that the reason for requiring a meal plan is because Guilford needs the money from all students so they can support the type of dining that students will appreciate.

If that is so, why make it mandatory for all, instead of asking the students to support the dining department with the future changes by voluntarily signing up for plans from the college, and allowing students to change their meal plans mid semester if they like the food being served?

And why, of all places, are the meal plan changes at the bottom of a page about additional housing information?

If this is an important issue, you would think that there would be a blurb or a link at the top of Guilford’s main page.