By

For University of Louisville Belknap students, the required meal plan starting fall 2009 is as follows:
4All students living in on-campus residence halls without kitchens will have a $1,165 meal plan.
4All students living in on-campus residence halls with kitchens will have a $745 meal plan.
4All full-time undergraduate students on the Belknap campus will
have a $250 meal plan.

Communication is based on mutual accountability.
There are so many fingers pointing within the U of L Belknap community, that a middle finger had to appear.
While there is no need for curse words, there is a need for U of L students, Student Government Association, and its leading administration to be honest with one another.
The local and university media is having a field day with the U of L community regarding the 2008-2009 mandatory meal plans.
This entire fiasco does not add up, especially the administration’s math.
“U of L asked Sodexo to front the $11 million in capital improvements. To pay for their capital investment, U of L had to develop a consistent revenue stream. The only way U of L could have a consistent revenue stream is by having a mandatory plan; with a waiver for exemptions,” said SGA President Rudy Spencer.
The administration is quick to say SGA represents the student body’s voice. The administration needs to talk directly to U of L students, not its representatives. Approximately 2,400 students voted for the 2008-2009 SGA officers according to 2007-2008 SGA Chief Justice Kyle Riggs.
How can they feel this is the student voice when this was 11 percent of the student population?
There is much communication improvement needed between SGA and its students. Students need to better utilize  those who were chosen to represent them.
Once the notices were given out via e-mail of possible change in food service during the past few years from SGA, students should have asked questions to their senators, like “how much will this cost me?
Yes, U of L students (according to e-mails, etc.) wanted better food services. Not one person from the SGA organization (2006-2007 or 2007-2008 Senate) or U of L administration warned the student population of the mandatory 2008-2009 meal plan cost involved.
The SGA should have given some rough figures of how much the proposed food services would cost students.
There is an exception, “Exceptions for meal plans are currently allowed for resident students based on religious or medical concerns and those exemptions will be extended to commuter students under the new plan,” Michael Mardis, Dean of Students and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs told The Courier-Journal.
Aside from these stipulations, “The real problem is that we can’t choose whether or not to do this. Why is this not optional?” asked Kathleen Knight, a sophomore English major. She created the Facebook group “Stop the Mandatory Meal Plan at U of L,” which has over 1,000 members at press time.
The University of Louisville did provide food service pamphlets which included this plan in the Stadium parking shuttle stop and various restaurant areas, including the high traffic area of The Terrace. The Louisville Cardinal also reported this plan in the first issue of the fall 2008 semester. Not until this appeared on the front page of its Oct. 7  issue did this uproar occur.
Students need to be aware of their surroundings. The time they have chosen to speak up, may be too late.