To the Editor:
After three plus years of casually watching as campus policy makers repeatedly ignored the voices of the students and more importantly, the voice of reason, I cannot let your story about the new meal plan ("New Dining Plan is finalized," Jan. 31) go without a response.
The current plan which requires freshmen to purchase punches is anything but fair. No one will deny the fact that there was plenty of room for improvement. However, this new plan is not the answer. College Vice President and Treasurer Lyn Hutton told The Dartmouth that a declining balance fee of "$70 a term would be much too high." I agree with Ms. Hutton and only wish that she could learn something from her own words.
The new plan will require seniors to pay $70 a term and freshman to pay $100. I am certainly not an accountant, but my math is pretty decent; I calculate that more than half the students on campus at any given point would be charged a fee that meets or exceeds the level that Ms. Hutton herself considers to be "much too high." In other words, a college official has admitted that we, the students of Dartmouth, will be paying too much for a college service. When you pay $470 (or more) for $400 worth of product you are getting ripped off. Images of used cars, Ralph Nader, and David Horowitz immediately come to mind.
I have heard all the reasons for the new plan but none of them is more than a weak excuse. If Dartmouth Dining Services cannot turn a profit with its inherent business advantages, such as prime locations around campus, the guarantee of regular patrons and the right to charge on college IDs, something is wrong. There are many privately owned dining facilities in town that are profitable without any of the luxuries enjoyed by DDS. In addition to being profitable, these other establishments offer better service, a more pleasant atmosphere, cheaper prices, and in many cases, more hours of operation.
If DDS cannot compete in such a favorable competitive position, perhaps Dartmouth should consider contracting out the various on-campus facilities to a firm with a solid, fair business sense.
