Washburn prides itself on being different from other, larger universities, but when it comes to meal plans and food prices, it seems to be just another sheep in the flock.

Much like many other universities across the nation, Washburn requires a meal plan purchase for all students living on campus. And while some students may grudgingly accept this as a part of on-campus living, some believe the price they pay for the food they receive is not quite on par.

“They’re exorbitantly ridiculous,” said Samantha Kosteleck, junior music major. Kosteleck said she paid around $9 for the main dish and bottle of milk. “I can go to Olive Garden and have a nice meal for that price.”

The consensus is fairly easy to reach: By asking only a handful of students, it’s quite simple to see that many believe the Union Market over charges for food. While in some cases that may be true, there are always exceptions to the rule.

Before taxes, a double cheeseburger combo, which includes fries and a 20 oz. drink, costs $5.89. Comparably, a double quarter-pounder at McDonald’s is only 50 cents cheaper. Also, Union Market sub sandwich combos are at a minimum 30 cents less than Subway combination meals. Another thing to think about is that Chartwells food is served up by a trained employee who earns a decent wage rather than a high school student earning the bare minimum per hour. However, the golden arches and Subway do offer free refills on all soft drinks, which is something that cannot be said by Chartwells.

“We control the prices, and then they’re approved by Washburn,” said Joe Vetter, director of dining services.

Vetter says that dining services does what it can to stay competitive with local retailers. And in most respects that is true.

However, when the catering side of Chartwells comes into view, it’s not quite as nice as some may like to believe.

All groups that choose to serve food on campus, whether it be the Campus Activity Board hosting a game night or a group of faculty meeting together to hold an open forum for the public, are required to go through Washburn Dining Services as the first option. This is part of the contractual agreement between Washburn and Chartwells. But when groups look at paying $9 per gallon for ice tea, or $3.99 per person for an assorted cheese tray, the prices start to build.

To put things in perspective, the Coffee Break Café, a local catering company, charges only $6.50 per gallon of ice tea, and Field of Greens, another Topeka caterer, charges a mere $4 for the same amount. Assuming that for a group of 100 people, with each person drinking two cups, tea alone through Chartwells would run $117. Coffee Break Café comes in at $81.25, and Field of Greens hits a low with $50. This requirement can force organizations to either pony up the extra cash or take their gathering off campus.

Another source of frustration among students is that meal plans are required, and any money left unused at the end of spring semester is not refunded. Denise Ottinger, vice president of student life, said she has worked at several universities, and all of them have required a meal plan for their on-campus residents that operated as such.

“The intent is that students still to can be able to go get a nutritional meal when they want, because some students just don’t want to fix their own meals,” said Ottinger.

While this may be true in many cases, there are still students who feel they would rather fix their own food than pay for a Union Market meal plan. The only other viable alternative for students who do not wish to purchase a meal plan is to find off-campus housing, said Ottinger..

“I certainly would be willing for discussion [on meal plan requirement], but that’s not my decision to make,” said Ottinger.

Price Comparisons

Chartwells Double Cheese Burger Combo……………………..$5.89McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder Combo…………………$5.29

Chartwells Double Bacond Cheddar Burger Combo…………$6.29McDonald’s Big Mac Combo………………………………………..$4.39

6″ SubsAny Chartwells Sub Combo…………………………………………$5.49Subway Sandwich Combos Spicey Italian…………………………………..$5.79 Subway Club……………………………………$5.99 Chicken and Bacon Ranch………………….$6.19