<p>People making decisions might want to hear that Loyola has changed their dining arrangements starting next Fall. They are dumping Sodexo and taking up with Parkhurst (google them, they sound very good) and freshmen will be required to have a traditional meal plan. Upperclassmen will be required to participate in at least a minimal plan or, of course, they may also buy into more extensive ones. Visit the pages mentioned in the letter quoted below for more info.</p>
<p>Here is the text of the letter the students received:</p>
<p>"Dear Students:</p>
<p>Dining services are an important part of Loyolas commitment to providing you with the most exceptional university experience possible. Over the past several months, Loyolas leadership, along with members of the Student Government Association, has evaluated the Universitys dining services and reviewed student feedback, determining that there was a need to develop a dining program that is both more sustainable in its operations and better suited to meeting students dining needs. </p>
<p>As a result of these efforts, the University has decided to move to a new dining and catering vendor who can provide additional options, a strong focus on quality, and a better value to students and other members of the campus community. This change also includes a switch from an a la carte dining model to one that includes competitively priced meal plans. We are confident that this change, which will take effect this summer, will provide our campus community with an improved, more economical dining experience. Our new vendor, Parkhurst, specializes in private colleges and universities and places a priority on offering fresh, local, made-to-order food. We have not yet finalized which dining venues and menus we will offer in which locations on campus because we will be scheduling forums to seek student input on these decisions in the near future. We can assure you that the new venues will provide more variety than our current offerings and will be designed to better accommodate your schedules and dietary needs.</p>
<p>In the course of our evaluation of dining services, we determined that a dining model that offers more traditional meal plan options is the best choice based on the dining needs of our campus community. In Fall 2013, Boulder Garden Café will become an all-you-care-to-eat location for dinner service, and for Saturday and Sunday brunch. It will remain a retail establishment for Monday-Friday lunch. Other dining venues will remain retail-based, although packages, equivalent to a meal (e.g., sandwich, drinks, side, and dessert), will be available.</p>
<p>Resident undergraduate students will choose from meal plans which offer a combination of meals available by week or semester and/or a set amount of declining balance dollars to be used for retail purchases. Meal plan requirements vary among undergraduate classes. Detailed information on the plans is available at New</a> Dining Program Coming Summer of 2013 \ Facilities and Campus Services \ Loyola University Maryland. Its important to note that the minimum plan price for all students is significantly less than our peer institutions.</p>
<p>We are very excited about this enhancement to the Loyola dining experience, and look forward to your involvement as we explore the many culinary options available to us. Please keep your eyes open for announcements about our open forums! </p>
<p>If you have any immediate questions about these changes, please visit New</a> Dining Program Coming Summer of 2013 \ Facilities and Campus Services \ Loyola University Maryland or contact Jennifer Wood, director of Campus Services, at <a href="mailto:mealplans@loyola.edu">mealplans@loyola.edu</a>. </p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>P.S.: While we are still considering which specific dining venues we will offer next year, I can promise that the Starbucks in the College Center will remain!"</p>