As the price of food continues to climb nationwide, Dining Services and the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate are looking for ways to guarantee that on-campus options do not become too expensive for students.
"We are very sympathetic to the struggling economy and to the pressures that Dining Services is under, so what we are trying to do is accentuate the lower-cost food programs that they have and make them more available," TCU President Duncan Pickard said. "Food is something that cuts across for everyone, and there have to be a lot of options available for a lot of different people."
In order to combat the growing price of food, the Senate is working to introduce a "value menu" in Hotung Café and the Commons, Pickard said, noting that a wider range of meal sizes could help students save money.
"Right now, you go into the Commons and you can get a big $8 sandwich or you can get small side-type items, but there really isn't anything in the middle," he said. "Either you spend too little money and you're still hungry or you spend too much money and you're full, and it would be really helpful to have something in the middle."
Pickard said that the Senate is working with Dining Services to put these plans into action.
Dining Services Director Patti Klos said that her office has already reintroduced some less expensive meal options in the Commons.
"We realize that people want variety not just in the type of food, but in the price [range], so we've reintroduced … the egg salad sandwich, the grilled cheese and the BLT, [which] cost slightly less," she said. "I've also tasked my managers with coming up with some additional items, so some of those things will be coming out spring semester."
TCU Parliamentarian C.J. Mourning agreed with Pickard's categorization of food at the campus center as "prohibitively expensive."
"The cost of food at the campus center is way too high," Mourning said. "When I took my mom to the campus center [a few] weeks ago, we ended up spending over $25 at the Commons."
Klos defended the costs, saying that Dining Services prices its items according to the standards at local eateries.
"As far as setting prices, we set our prices according to the local competition in the area to make sure that it is fair," she said, adding that while eating on campus may not be cheaper than buying food from grocery stores, it is "definitely the most convenient" option.
Pickard agreed on this point. "As it is now, Tufts is very competitive [with] restaurants that are off campus," he said.
Klos said that if an item is prohibitively expensive, students will stop buying it and Dining Services will be forced to replace it with something less costly.
"I try to give [students] the most affordable prices that I can sell food at," Klos said. "If [students] can't afford it, then stop buying and I'll … look for something else."
Klos said that she tries to offer a wide array of food so buyers can choose from different price ranges.
"Our ongoing strategy is to have multiple price points for a variety of products," Klos said. "Everyone is feeling the pinch, [and] we all want to keep food as affordable as we can. I think in this country, we are all going to have to face up to the fact that food is not going to be as cheap as it used to be, and we're going to have to be more creative in our overall budget."
The high price of food is making some students reconsider spending money on entertainment events on campus, according to Mourning.
"One of the overarching problems on campus is the high cost of enjoying all of the different things that Tufts has to offer, whether that's food at the Commons or going to a show on campus," she said. "Sometimes the costs are so high that it prevents students from enjoying the overall Tufts experience."
Pickard noted that this applies to off-campus diversions as well. "I think a big reason why students come to Tufts is because there are so many great options off campus, and it is accessible to Boston," he said. "We want to make sure that students can take still full advantage of that."
