As the semester draws to a close, students have several things on their minds. Out of these many things, one of the most important is meal plans. Students either find themselves with no money to pay for food or with hundreds of points left over.
Stony Brook offers multiple meal plan options for its students. For residents, there are the bronze, silver, gold and platinum meal plans, which respectively increase in price and the amount of Campus Points. According to campusdining.org, Stony Brook’s web page for campus dining services:
A bronze plan is $1,867 per semester and includes 903 campus points and 400 flex credits.
A silver plan is $1,983 per semester and includes 1,019 campus points and 400 flex credits.
A gold plan is $2,214 per semester and includes 1,250 campus points and 400 flex credits.
A platinum plan is $2,792 per semester and includes 1,828 campus points and 400 flex credits.
For commuters, there over the Commuter Full Size and Commuter Compact Meal Plans to choose from. A Commuter Full Size plan is $500 and features 400 Flex Credits and 75 campus points. A Commuter Compact plan is $250 and features 225 Flex Credits and no campus points. The Apartment Duplex and Apartment Studio plans for those living in on-campus apartments respectively follow the same guidelines. These plans are tax-exempt.
Budget plans are also available for commuters and apartment dwellers. These plans are opened for $50. Money is replenished on the plans in increments of $25. This plan is also tax-exempt.
According to the Faculty Student Association (FSA), on Oct. 4, 2011, more than 6,000 students were on resident meal plans, and slightly more than 4,000 students were on commuter, apartment, and Budget Plan meal plans.
The FSA states that for residents, if enrollment status or residence hall requires a resident to be on a meal plan, they will automatically be placed on the Silver Plan if the resident does not choose the plan themselves. FSA further states on their website, “All NEW freshman and transfer resident students who do not select a meal plan will be placed on the Gold Plan.” (Meal plans are not mandatory if one is older than 23 or is a returning resident living in a cooking building.) In addition, it states that it is not mandatory for a commuter to be on a meal plan nor is it mandatory for those living in apartments to be