Artwork by
Dennis Murphy

For the students, by the students

Two Meal Plan Choices for Campus
Kelly Connett, CAFNR Corner Post Staff

Sept. 28, 2003--Are you stuck wondering where to eat and how to pay for it this fall? If so, then you’re in luck then because there are two plans for different types of consumers. Are you the type of person who loves to eat off-campus for every meal? Then the Tiger Meal Plan is for you. The Tiger Meal Plan acts like a debit card that you can use at your favorite local restaurants. Tiger Meal Plan is not sponsored by the University of Missouri, but rather by Off Campus Access, Inc, a Charlottesville, Va., company that runs private meal plans in four states, serving nearly 400,000 students each year.

Restaurants in the Columbia area participate in the program, and students who buy into the plan get their own card for using the service, which looks similar to a phone or credit card. Program sponsors say it's an easy and quick way to pay for food when you don’t have spare cash, and may save students' money. Some restaurants that don't fully participate in this program may give you a reduced price on some of their items. If you would like more information on the Tiger Meal Plan or to start an account, log on to http://www.tigermealplan.com.

For the person who prefers staying on campus to eat, the officially-sponsored Mizzou Meal Plan is for you. Campus Dining Services locations offer this plan. CDS locations include Dobbs Pavilion, Eva J’s, Mark-Twain Market, Rollins, Bingham Connection, Down Under Diner, Coffee Express, and Rollins Pizza to Go. Even though your meals don’t roll over at the end of the week, if you have not used them all you can use meal equivalency "points" to purchase sandwiches, meals or snack items. The CDS Meal Plans use the MU student ID card. There are several different types of meal plans ranging from 7 to 21 meals per week.

E.Z. Charge and Upfront are two other options you can add to your Mizzou Meal Plan. E.Z. Charge allows students to add up an increasing balance (like a credit card) and Upfront is an account that allows a decreasing balance (like a debit card). These options are also available for off-campus students via their student ID card. To find out more about what meal plan would be most suitable to your needs or just to find out more information you can visit the campus dining hall services on campus at Johnston Hall or visit CDS' Meal Plan home page at http://www.missouri.edu/~mufood/mealPlans.html.

Story posted 9/2/03

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