First-year students can no longer sign-up for the all-points meal plan option, which provides the equivalent of $1,300 per semester for food at any of the dining facility on campus, including the Express Way convenience store at the Usdan Cafe. According to Associate Vice President of University Services Mark Collins, who was instrumental in incurring this change, he met with students, parents, administrators and the University's food and service provider, Aramark, to create other meals plans to better ensure first-year students eat properly.

Collins said he received phone calls from parents of students on the all-points plan last year complaining about one of two things: their child either had too many points left over or ran out of points before the semester finished.

"One (parent) called because of extra points left over," Collins said. "I went and pulled the history of the student. I can see where he eats and what he spent, and the student didn't eat. On average, once a week the student ate in a dining hall. There are two negatives to that; you are not eating well-balanced meals out of a convenience store and a function of the dining program plays a part in the overall life of the student."

Over the summer, Collins said he met with students, parents, other administrators and the University's food and service provider, Aramark, to create other plans to better ensure that freshman students eat properly.

Before arriving on campus Sunday, first-years chose from one of four different meal plans - 21 meals a week per semester, 14 meals a week per semester, a flex plan (100 meals per semester and 600 points) or the combo plan (10 meals per week and 400 points).

While the all-points option was not available, Collins stated that these meal-plan options still require careful planning.

"The life of an incoming student is very hectic, between getting oriented to the campus environment and social scene," Collins said. "The last thing that people might be willing to dedicate some time and attention to is the diet, which is such an integral part of maintaining your ability to be able to work."

Collins said it was important not to eliminate points completely from first-year meal-plan options.

"While (first-years) have been excluded from the all-points plan, we were particularly sensitive to the need to not exclude them from the flexibility of having points," Collins said.

Indeed, the flex plan offers almost half the amount of points as the all-points plan.

"It offers the best of both worlds," Collins said.

The all-points plan has not been eliminated for upperclassmen.

"I think the idea is the sophomores, juniors and seniors know the environment and the layout of the land," Collins said. "I think having the years experience under your belt makes a difference. If you had extra points last year, this year you know what to do and how to do it."

Still, some sophomores who used the all-points option as first-years do not agree with the new restriction, even if they ran out of points too soon or had too many points left over.

Viola Washburn '06 had a huge surplus of points toward the end of last year and used everything remaining in a shopping spree at the convenience store. Yet she still prefers the all-points option and signed up again for it again this year.

"It works out better with points," Washburn said. "Last year, I ended up with a lot of points left over, but at least I was not restricted to when I had to eat. I don't think it's right that first-years can't use the all-points option. All-points is the way to go."

To improve meal plan options, Washburn said, "it would be ideal if students could buy as many points as they want. Or, if they run out, they could buy more."

Nick Barasch '06 also disagrees with the all-points plan being restricted.

"You should learn how to budget your money, not budget what you eat," Barasch said. "But you should learn not to splurge your money somewhere. Maybe the (administration) is trying to protect the students in that regard. Still, students should be able to make that choice alone."

But not all sophomores think restricting the all-points plan is a bad idea.

Tara Strauss '06 was on the all-points plan last year and is considering changing to the combo plan.

"I think that it's a better idea to have a combo plan," Strauss said. "I ran out of points too soon and I had to pay cash towards to end of the year.