February 14, 2019

Dear AU Community,

First of all, we would like to thank all of those students and families who have provided feedback on your dining experiences this year at AU. We have heard you. Much improvement is needed, and we are taking steps to ensure that the food provided to our students meets expectations for cost, quality and service.

Thank you also for your review and comments on proposed meal plan changes. We solicited your feedback to ensure that the meal plans were aligned with student needs. Again, we have heard your feedback. As part of the Fiscal Year 2020 and Fiscal Year 2021 budget process, we are proposing that there be no price increase to the meal plans for 2019-2020 academic year. The proposed meal plans will keep the current pricing and meal block levels.

First-year students will have a 175-Meal Block Plan, with $400 in EagleBucks; second-year students will have a 100-Meal Block Plan, also with $400 in EagleBucks. The amount of EagleBucks available is being increased, which will allow students more flexibility. These plans will be offered at the current rate, and we will be monitoring closely to ensure that improvements in the dining experience are implemented quickly.

We will also be reviewing our dining partnership with our current food service vendor, to determine if a change is warranted.

As the semester continues, we will report to you on the progress being made.

Sincerely,
Charles E. Smith, Executive Director, Auxiliary Services
Ann Marie Powell, Director, Dining and Auxiliary Services