Students under the impression that they own their dining dollars would be surprised to learn that their meal money is not technically theirs.

“Meal money does not necessarily belong to students,” said Director of Dining and Conference Services Cindy Atkins. Atkins mentioned that students are buying into the meal plan program when they chose a meal plan specific to their eating habits.

Atkins said that the extra meal money from students’ accounts gets recycled back into general campus funding, and that it has always been that way. She claims that one of the biggest misconceptions is that students think that their excess meal money belongs to them, when in reality the money has always been part of the school’s larger budget.

Atkins advocated for students to pick the best meal plan for their specific needs and to “take advantage of the best meal plan, so you don’t lose money.” She stated that the Weekly 7 meal plan is for students who need more money for snacks, and that the Weekly 15 meal plan is best suited for juniors.

The meal plans were designed to fit students’ lifestyles and budgets based on specific eating habits. Although students may be unhappy with their excessive dining dollars, they can choose to put that extra money towards a greater cause.

“Leftover meal money can be used by students to buy non-perishable items from the pub that can be donated to the Canton or Potsdam food pantries,” added the co-president of the Class of 2020, Emma Mellman. Mellman strongly believes that students with large sums of money left in their accounts should take advantage of the opportunity to donate and give back to the local community.

Director of the Canton Church and Community Program, a food pantry in downtown Canton, Connie Jenkins, said that “St. Lawrence is a big help to our community in a lot of ways.” Jenkins stated that our school’s dining services, sororities, Campus Kitchens club, volunteer services, and community service clubs are always giving back to the Canton community, and that all food donations to the Canton Church and Community Program are appreciated.

“I think it is great that students use extra money as an opportunity to use their meal plans to donate and give back,” added Jenkins. This small act of kindness highlights our SLU students’ initiatives to connect with the community and our increase in efforts towards a more cohesive relationship with the overall space that we live in, she says.

It is unlikely that students will ever have input as to where their extra meal money goes, because it gets put back into the general campus financial pool, but students do have the capability to spend their extra money on food for those less fortunate in the area.