Starting this summer, students will be able to roll over up to $100 of DBA between terms over the course of the academic year.
DDS director David Newlove said that on average students overspend $112 of DBA per term and, if they have extra DBA, the amount is usually less than $15 . In a November interview, Newlove said that in fall 2012 juniors charged $195 over their meal plans while seniors charged $167.
Newlove said that former Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson supported the rollover program because it would help students on financial aid save money. The current hybrid meal plans incorporate meal swipes and DBA, unlike the all-DBA plans employed before the 2011-12 academic year.
Because of the hybrid plan, revenue change allowing rollover DBA will be less substantial than it would have been under the prior all-DBA meal system. He said that the decision will not prior the price of items in locations that take DBA.
In February, George Philipose ’15 posted this as a suggestion to Improve Dartmouth. His post became the second highest ranked post on the website, with 1105 “agrees” and only four “disagrees” as of press time.
Esteban Castano ’14, Improve Dartmouth co-chair and co-founder, said he supported the decision by DDS.
“Each idea has the potential to be an important conversation-starter between students, staff, faculty and alumni,” he said.
The College’s peer institutions have a varied meal plans, some of which include a rollover system. University of Pennsylvania students can use either swipes or “Dining Dollar$,” which, like DBA, roll over until the end of the year, to pay for meals.
Harvard University employs an unlimited meal plan and Crimson Cash, the university’s equivalent of DA$H, which students can add to at their discretion. Princeton University students use meal swipes, which reset each semester. Columbia University students can use both meal swipes and “dining dollars," which roll over until graduation.
At Boston College, left over meal plan money rolls over through academic years, and students who graduate with a balance that exceeds five dollars get a full refund.Similarly, University of New Hampshire students have a mix of meal swipes and “dining dollars” which reset at the end of each academic year, much like the new DBA plan.
Students interviewed thought the changes could be positive, though others offered solutions to avoid DDS prices regardless of the rollover.
Kaira Lujan ’16 said that while she thinks the change is a move in the right direction, said she does not think it will have impact on most students.
“I think on the whole it is great, especially for students with DBA that will be available to roll over, but personally I am usually negative,” she said.
Living and eating off-campus allows some students to avoid the high prices of many DDS items, Kirby Schoenthaler ’15 said.
“I prefer to eat off-campus because there are more options, it’s comparable in price, and living off-campus allows you to cook some of your own meals,” he said.
