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The Dartmouth
July 11, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

200 students protest $800 DBA proposal

Almost 200 angry students crowded into Tindle Lounge in Thayer Dining Hall last night to protest a proposal that would require all students to spend at least $800 per term in College dining halls beginning in June.

Dartmouth Dining Services had invited 22 students to attend a discussion with Associate Director of Dining Services Tucker Rossiter, but a frenzy of publicity via e-mail prompted officials to move the forum to the Tindle Lounge in anticipation of the large crowd.

Speaking before a hostile crowd, Rossiter said DDS, which is financially independent from the College, anticipates losing $600,000 this year. He said a revamped meal plan is necessary for DDS to break even without cutting services.

Rossiter said the current "punch" meal-plan option will be abandoned in favor of a mandatory declining balance account, since very few students currently choose the "punch" option. Although the specifics of the plan have not been finalized, Rossiter said special consideration will be made for people who live off-campus.

Rossiter denied reports in The Dartmouth that the required amount for the new meal-plan will be $800. Amid protests from the crowd, Rossiter admitted that he had "talked $795," although the final figure will not be decided for two to three weeks.

Rossiter said the average student currently spends $623 per term dining on campus, and only 200 to 400 students currently spend more than $800. Rossiter said the Courtyard Cafe in the Hopkins Center is the only DDS establishment that turns a profit.

This information prompted members of the audience to call for the closure of establishments such as the snack bars at the Dartmouth Skiway, Hanover Country Club and in the East Wheelock Cluster. But Rossiter urged students not to be quick to condemn establishments that he said perform an important function for other students.

"You say 'close it'," he said. "But you're only looking at what you individually want."

Jennifer Gagne '99 told the crowd she contacted friends at three New England schools yesterday to ask about their meal plans.

Gagne said the schools' dining services are all run by private corporations and cost students between $1,200 and $1,800 per year. Gagne said the proposed $800 DBA would amount to a $2,400 meal plan charge per year.

Rossiter answered that "contract services tend to be faceless, they tend not to show any care for their help." He said hiring franchises means money goes to a company rather than to a locally-run operation.

Leann Kellogg '98 said if students are required to give money to DDS, they should be allowed to see DDS's budget. Rossiter said students will be able to see the budget.

Student Assembly presidential candidate Unai Montes-Irueste '98 said it was clear to him that Rossiter's "hands are tied" by someone in the administration, making it difficult for him to reach any sort of concessions with students. Montes-Irueste demanded to know which College officials are responsible for dining services decisions.

Rossiter characterized the change in the meal plan as a "collective effort" and "an administrative decision of the College." Under pressure from the crowd, he admitted that College Treasurer Lyn Hutton and Dean of the College Lee Pelton are ultimately accountable.

Reacting to a suggestion made by Rossiter that DDS is not necessarily run "inefficiently," Ben Mishkin '00 said dining services should prove their business efficiency by publishing their financial records in The Dartmouth.

"You are a business," he said. "When you incur a loss, you are operating inefficiently."

Jenny Gateno '00 said forcing students to spend at least $800 for meals on-campus will hurt Hanover restaurants. Rossiter said that the restaurants have always existed, even when all students had mandatory meal plans.

Assembly candidate Frode Eilersten '99 demanded to know why Rossiter claims to know how students feel about dining issues and suggested a campus-wide vote on which dining establishments could be closed to avoid an increase in cost for the students.

"Why can't we let 4,400 students decide?" Eilertsen asked.

Case Dorkey '99, who is the student intern at DDS, urged students to keep in mind the restrictions that are placed on DDS.

Dorkey said DDS is hindered by its inability to operate like a downtown business. Lou's can decide to stop serving brunch if it is unprofitable, but the College can't let that happen to DDS, he said.

Admitting that he is as reluctant as other students to pay an increased minimum meal plan, Dorkey said he would like to see students come up with an alternative plan that could be presented to DDS for consideration.

Dorkey invited students to blitz him ideas to help DDS save money and offered to "spend the time running numbers" to present feasible ideas to Dining Services.

Assembly Vice-President Chris Swift '98 made a similar offer. He said that while he could meet with Hutton and Pelton to voice student opinion, his argument would be more persuasive if he could walk into their offices with "1,000 blitzes in my hand" from concerned students.