Brown changes meal plan requirements to reduce ‘food insecurity’

PROVIDENCE – Brown University is making changes to the meal plans it offers students in order to reduce “food insecurity” that studies say college students nationwide are experiencing in growing numbers.

Brown has announced that it will require all sophomores to enroll in a meal plan, and students who can’t afford to pay will have the meal costs covered by scholarship money.

The move is an extension of a similar announcement last year that required first-year students to enroll in a meal plan.

In addition, Brown said it will provide meals during spring break to all students on a meal plan, starting next year.

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The changes to the dining policy were made based on recommendations from a working group of students, faculty and staff convened by provost Richard M. Locke.

Food insecurity among college students has emerged as a national issue, Locke said.

“We know that students on campuses across the country, including at Brown, experience varying degrees of food insecurity,” Locke said in a news release. “We’re committed to addressing these issues so that all students are able to take full advantage of their Brown educational experiences without the challenge of worrying about costs, logistics or time needed to access healthy food options.”

Brown required all first-year undergraduates to enroll in a full meal plan that includes 20 meals a week. For those with high financial need (any undergraduate who has a $0 parent contribution), the university provided additional scholarship funds to cover the costs.

Data gathered in early 2019 found that in the wake of that new requirement, reports of food insecurity among first-year students were lowest among all Brown undergraduates, said Marisa Quinn, chief of staff to the provost.

Based on that finding, the working group recommended extending the requirement to sophomores. They will be required to enroll, at a minimum, in a 14-meal plan.

“Given the success of the required meal plan for first-year students, the limitations of cooking facilities in residence halls and the value that meal plans have for facilitating community among all students living on campus, we believe that aligning our policies with most of our peers and requiring sophomores to have a meal plan will further efforts to ensure that all Brown students are able to focus fully on being students,” Quinn said.

The working group also recommended that students enrolled in meal plans receive meals over spring break at no additional cost.

Many students, including and especially those from low-income families, stay on campus over the one-week spring break each March and find it difficult to access affordable, healthy food, said Shanze Tahir, president of Brown’s Undergraduate Council of Students, which advocated for this change in policy.

“We are very appreciative that the university ultimately moved forward with the recommendation,” Tahir said. “Many students, particularly first-generation and low-income students, have expressed how difficult and stressful it is to find food on campus when they have to stay at Brown for break. Decreasing food insecurity on campus has a positive impact on the entire Brown student community, as having reliable access to food is a basic right that every student should have and feel assured about.”

Data showed that students at Brown experience food insecurity at varying degrees based on numerous factors. While a lack of money was one factor, a lack of time to shop for groceries was another, the data indicated. Additionally, certain groups of graduate students, including medical students and Master of Fine Arts students, reported higher rates of food insecurity.

Based on the information gathered, the working group also recommended establishing a tailored meal plan pilot program specifically for graduate students; exploring options for strengthening access to affordable groceries for graduate students and those living off campus, and enhancing the information provided to students about how to maximize use of their meal plans.

William Hamilton is PBN staff writer and special projects editor. You can follow him on Twitter @waham or email him at hamilton@pbn.com.