Assistant Vice President for Budget and Auxiliary Operations Angie Mathews sent an email on Jan. 27 to the campus community about changes to the meal plan, including a new meal plan for students living off campus.
Starting 2026-27, a new full meal plan — 10 meals per week and $900 flex dollars — for those living off campus, in town houses, and education as well as nursing majors will be available. It will cost the same as the other full plans as opposed to the partial meal plan that costs half as much. This meal plan aligns with the College’s vision for the townhouses to be transitional housing for upperclassmen to experience living independently.
“We thought this new plan would be a good way to make sure that they’re still getting enough meals,” Mathews said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “But provide a little more flexibility so that they can start cooking some meals on their own.”
Additionally, St. Olaf wants to encourage all students to be on a full meal plan, so providing more options that fit individual students’ needs helps accomplish this goal. “We’re trying to make sure that everything is equitable for all students and that all students really have access to food at all times,” Mathews said.
The partial meal plan will still be offered next academic year, and, according to Mathews, she doesn’t see it going anywhere anytime soon because it offers flexibility for students, which is ultimately the goal.
A majority of students who will qualify for the new meal plan had positive reactions to the changes. However, while the increase in options is welcomed, not all students are planning to opt into it. Nursing student Grace Neal ’27 expressed concern about the price of the new meal plan, and said she would probably still opt for the partial. On the other hand, Reece Howell ’27 said that in the end, it would probably be more expensive for him to buy his own food.
The College will increase flex dollars available for all meal plans. For the 21 full meal plan, this means $100 is being added — $45 for each semester and $10 for J-Term. According to Mathews, the College tries to examine inflation every couple of years and adjust the available flex dollars accordingly. The increase in flex dollars also responds to student feedback the College has gotten over the past few years.
