Juniors Melissa Kaylor, (left) Lauren Dunn, Zach Jandl, Erika Johnson and Amie Lank often opt to go trayless. (Photo by Lucia Suarez)

“I don’t know how the message got out, but a lot of students expected (a fourth meal) to happen. It was never, ever discussed that anything would be done this school year,” he said.     

The bigger picture

The idea of a fourth meal program was mentioned last spring, after the Student Association elections, Strashnick said. The newly elected S.A. officials approached Strashnick about a fourth meal program. However, the budget for the current school year was already set, he said.

As the budget for the next financial year was prepared, a fourth meal program was looked at, but was passed over in favor of hiring new professors and keeping tuition increases to a minimum, said Nancy Brock, vice president of finance.

“It’s important to step back from the fourth meal concept and look at the bigger picture,” she said.

The big picture, including the economy, logistics and student demand, was examined, and a fourth meal did not fit, Strashnick said.

The plan to implement a fourth meal program began with talks of a possible week-long pilot program during the current school year, said Gary Levante, S.A. secretary of student life.

A fourth meal would have probably included grill options, cereal, pastries, desserts and beverages, Strashnick said.

While there is student demand for late-night food in Alliot, adding a fourth meal program would cost about $300-$400 per student, he said.

Pass the ketchup please! (Photo by Lucia Suarez)

Trayless saves water, but not money

Aside from a fourth meal program, another popular trend on college campuses is going trayless to save

water, Strashnick said. Since going trayless as a test run last semester, Alliot has been saving about 300 gallons of water a day, which saves a penny per gallon, Strashnick said.

Trays were put back in the dining hall after winter break, but many students continue to go trayless.

“Over 90 percent of students don’t use trays now,” Levante said. “Even when we put the trays back in Alliot, (the staff) is still not cleaning as many as before.”

The fact that water is being saved is a bigger success than saving money for a fourth meal, sophomore Josh Hoxie said.

“You don’t really need a tray, so there’s no sense in wasting all the stuff to clean them,” Hoxie said. “The biggest success out of the trayless campaign is that they brought trays back and kids still aren’t using them, which shows that they’re considering the implications of their actions.”

Academics take priority

A drawback to the trayless program is that the staff has had to work longer to clean messes on the tables, Strashnick said. This presents an obstacle in implementing a fourth meal because staff members need to be paid more for extra cleaning work. New staff would also be needed o execute a fourth meal program, he said.

Even though a fourth meal isn’t feasible for several years, the dining hall will be getting a new dishwasher and conveyer belt. The dishwasher will be installed this summer, and the conveyer belt will be installed in about a year, Strashnick said.

The new dishwasher will ultimately save about $25,000 to $30,000, but, like the trayless program, it will not be enough to finance a fourth meal, Strashnick said.

A bird's eye view of Green Mountain Dining Hall. (Photo by Lucia Suarez)

“The dish machine will reduce water consumption almost by 60 percent, versus the old machine which is, in a day, five times what going trayless will do,” he said. “Is there money to put (toward a fourth meal)? Yes, but it’s a very small amount.”

The finance office also continues to emphasize academics and is committed to keeping tuition down, Brock said.

As for students, most see keeping their tuition costs as low as possible as a positive, even if it means no fourth meal program, Hoxie said. Hoxie did not expect a fourth meal this semester, nor is he upset about the lack of it, he added.