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Eligible students can now choose from a new menu of free or reduced price school lunch from the beanery lines as well as the cafeteria, using new lunch cards distributed on April 9.
Like the cafeteria, the two beaneries will now have the computerized Point-of-Sales systems for students to punch in their PIN numbers when they get their lunches. The new Super Choice Menu will include a choice of entrée, fresh fruit and choice of milk.
The decision to have beaneries participate in giving out free or reduced lunch is intended to prevent students from feeling discriminated against. “We don’t want lines in the beanery to include only people with cash or for the cafeteria to be the line for (eligible free lunch students),” Assistant Director of Student Nutrition Services Zetta Reicker said. “We want those students to have the same choices as the people that have cash.”
Students reacted positively towards the new lunch option.The beanery food “is better than the repackaged and reheated food in the cafeteria,” junior Wendy Ngu said.
Some students also favored the change as it gives students a choice for lunch. “It’s nice because (the beanery) gives an alternative meal to people who can’t afford lunch,” junior Michelle Chen said.
Another change is that lunch items can no longer be bought individually, in order to encourage students to eat a balanced meal. “You either buy a meal or get no meal,” Yi said.
For instance, bagels are now to be bought with sunbutter and trail mix at the price of $3 compared to the past’s $1 bagel with cream cheese. “At lunch time, everything comes with a meal. Snacks like cookies can be bought (individually),” cafeteria worker Joey Chen said. Some students expressed their dissatisfaction with the new rule. “What if you just want a bagel or a taco?” sophomore Sandy Tan said. “Then you kind of waste $3.” |
