College nutritionist Marcia Herrin recommends having representatives from the nutrition education program on the Student Assembly Meal Plan Task Force because the freshmen meal plan can be dangerous for students with eating disorders.
"The first-year meal plan dictates certain times for eating in order to maximize the value of the punches," Herrin said. "This is not a logical system to help students follow their body's natural patterns."
"Someone with an eating disorder is supposed to try to eat three meals and three snacks a day, eat when they get hungry and stop when they get full," she said.
For someone with an eating disorder, the forced meal times can be harmful, she said. To combat that problem, Herrin recommends the College switch entirely over to the declining balance system, which is currently used only by upperclassmen.
Herrin said she hopes these issues are addressed by the Assembly's task force examining dining options at the College. "The task force studying the meal plan should be comprised of representatives of the student body, Dartmouth Dining Services, nutrition and education program, the Office of Residential Life and the Office of Student Life to get a complete picture," she said.
Herrin said changes in the meal plan could affect ORL. For example, if students who live off campus were not required to buy a meal plan, more students might move off campus, she said.
Although the Office of Student Life would be the least affected by changes in the meal plan, Herrin thought representatives from that office should also be included in the task force.
Herrin served on a committee seven years ago that revised the freshman meal plan. She said that while the plan has improved, she is glad that it is being examined again.
"The meal plan used to be a lot worse," she said. Originally, freshmen were required to have a meal plan with 20 meals per week.
Because meal plans affect financial aid packages, Herrin said she thinks the Office of Financial Aid should also be included in the task force.
Associate Director of Dining Services Tucker Rossiter said he respects Herrin's recommendations.
"Marcia Herrin is an expert qualified to make that statement. We will look at all the issues with a keen eye when the new task force examines the meal plan," he said.
"But a student with certified medical documentation of an eating disorder can request a different meal plan," he said. "The final decisions would be made by Dick's House and Dining Services."
