In response to student feedback and pressure from the ASSU, Stanford Dining announced to ASSU Senators last week and confirmed with The Daily this week that it will make a change to the dining overhaul that it made public almost two months ago.

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Mike Ramm

The Florence Moore Dining Hall will become an all-you-care to eat establishment and accept Cardinal Dollars under the new plan.

Under the plan introduced last quarter, students would have three all-you-care-to-eat choices, all priced at $4,656 for the entire year: the “unlimited” 19-meal-per-week plan, which will not include Cardinal Dollars; a 14-meal-per-week plan with 370 Cardinal Dollars; and a 12-meal-per-week plan with 585 Cardinal Dollars. The amendment announced recently — the only one that will be added before the new dining plan goes into effect for the 2005-2006 school year — replaces the last plan with one that offers 10 meals per week and 750 Cardinal Dollars. The other two meal plans will not be affected and the prices will remain the same for all three.

The original reform plan was based on student feedback concerning the current dining structure, said Rafi Taherian, executive director of Stanford Dining. But after the plan was made public, comments and complaints continued to pour in, both to dining officials and ASSU Senators.

“I’ve gotten a lot of e-mails from students about problems with the plan, especially asking for more flexibility,” said ASSU President Chioke Borgelt-Mose, a junior.

The student reactions sparked a series of negotiations between dining officials and the ASSU.

According to sophomore Russell Husen, an ASSU senator who serves as the liaison to Stanford Dining, it was “apparent” that light-eaters and upperclassman — who want the most flexibility in their dining habits — would be most adversely affected by the changes. It was on their behalf that the ASSU lobbied most, Husen said.

“The Senate suggested offering a smaller and less expensive meal plan for light eaters,” said senior Chris Lin, chair of the ASSU. But Stanford Dining would not allow the option, mainly because it would complicate the new meal plan system, which is advantageous in its simplicity.

Financial feasibility was also a factor in the negotiations. “Adding more services without adding price” does not make business sense for Stanford Dining, Taherian said, adding that some demographics are bound to be unsatisfied with the reforms.

“For any service, there will be people who use it more and people who use it less,” he said.

Although there will be no more amendments to the overhaul, Stanford Dining will continue to cooperate with students in determining how best to improve the quality of dining services, Taherian said.

“We still need to work on the destination dining,” he added, referring to the program that will allow students to choose where to eat based on special dishes being served at particular locations. “Students need to be a part of this process.”

Yesterday, the newly-elected ASSU executives, Melanie Kannokada and Aneto Okonkwo, both juniors, went over the details of the reform plan with Taherian and discussed ideas for improving student dining.