Students came back to Vanderbilt this semester to a multitude of changes to Campus Dining. One of these changes limited the use of munchie mart swipes to one per day, with the goal of building community and supporting healthy eating by encouraging students to eat together in dining halls. The policy also allows meals from Highland Munchie Mart and Kissam Kitchen comprised of a hot/cold bar or Kitchen entree and munchie mart sides to count as a dining hall swipe.
Soon after this policy was announced, students became vocal about their discontent with the munchie swipe limit and a petition started by Vanderbilt student Kendall Kransdorf received almost 2,000 signatures in only a few days. In response to student feedback, Campus Dining is altering the munchie swipe limit from one per day to seven per week.
“It is highly unusual for university dining programs to include the ability to use meal swipes for convenience market purchases. However, we understand that students are often pressed for time and concluded that while dining together holds an important place in the Vanderbilt student experience, the ability to get one convenience market meal each day is a practical need and we began the academic year with a one-market-swipe per day arrangement,” a statement from Campus Dining reads.
“We appreciate the input received from students and the constructive conversations we have had with the leaders of VSG regarding a need for more flexibility with the Munchie swipes.”
Campus Dining says that they are in the process of reconfiguring student meal plans and that the weekly munchie swipe limit should go into effect by the middle of this week.
“While this change is a step in the right direction by adding more flexibility back into the meal plan, we are continuing conversations with Campus Dining to make sure students’ perspectives are incorporated into decisions made that affect each of our daily lives,” VSG President Frances Burton said.
“We as VSG see and truly believe in the benefits of the residential campus and colleges—such as making space and time for community meals. However, we want to make sure the experiences of students on campus now are not sacrificed as Vanderbilt is in a transition period towards that model.”
