<p>After reading DMBH18 and Consolation’s posts, I have a question about housing during a leave term in the middle of the year. If my daughter takes off during the winter quarter, does she give up her dorm room? If so, can she get it back in the Spring when she returns? And what do kids do with their stuff usually? Thanks!</p>
<p>Glad to see everyone returned from Hanover, I stayed a few extra days to visit. It was pretty good weather and got to see many things. Great trip…</p>
<p>New Food Plan<br>
Anyone hear more about the new dining plan? from what we hear I don’t think it will be to good for our situation. I guess the students were protesting on the campus and talking about their concerns with the food service company. My 14 has so much extra money on her dining plan this year, its too bad they make you take such a high amount and incur student debt to fund a food plan that wasn’t needed. Next year, they have to pick plans that you have to buy entire meals, etc. It will be worse for some students. Some don’t mind paying and some buy larger plans, but those trying to be more cost effective, it will be more costly. Even with cheapest plan, she has over $1400 on her left and likely won’t spend the rest. She has been buying meals for others and sharing, but hate to incur student debt that is going basically down the drain.</p>
<p>There are many parts I like about Dartmouth, but the housing and how it was handled and the board/food service/charge is another. The new plan will also be limiting how much they can spend in the store (for supplies for room)- this year I think $200 of each quarter’s plan went to use in the store, next year it is down to $125 I belivee. The average price per meal on the plan for my daughter’s housing is going to be very high, especially now that you have limited meals and the average price will be high. I don’t believe they will have the a la carte meal plans like they do now.</p>
<p>I have to read up on it more, but from what we see for our situation, we have some initial concerns. (Due to medical issues, D has to eat like every 2 hrs. small amounts.)</p>
<p>PS: To potential students/parents, D still loves Dartmouth, but this is one area that could be better.</p>
<p>The dining plan is a ****show that has been met with lots of resentment, frustration, and protests. Students protested on Friday when David Newlove, the Dartmouth Dining Services manager, held an open Q&A on the dining plan, and I think they are planning to protest at President Kim’s faculty meeting on Monday.</p>
<p>Firstone, I’m fairly sure that a student on leave gives up their room and gets a new one when they return. My S has taken two leave terms, but he’s never been in precisely that situation.</p>
<p>He went abroad fall term of sophomore year after being home for the summer. So he just brought all of his stuff home, and was placed in a dorm room when he returned to campus in the winter. Apparently you can store stuff on campus during a leave term, but I seem to recall that if it is two terms in a row, there are charges of some kind. Since we live 3 hrs away by car, it was better to bring stuff home.</p>
<p>The second time he took leave, this winter, he was living in his fraternity. He had to move out of his room, and was able to store stuff in the house’s storage room. I had him bring clothes and bedding home to be washed, and he brought home anything delicate or valuable, such as his instruments. He left stuff like books, his coffeepot, hangers and so on that wouldn’t be damaged by storage. He was assigned a new room in the house upon his return.</p>
<p>And there’s no problem at all getting a room when you return. That’s the interesting thing – there are always people coming and going.</p>
<p>Dartmouthforever…
Yes, my D was at the Q&A system, she already had concerns over the last plan, this one is worse. There are some items there that are very costly, like the $3 Vitamin Water, which usually you get 10 for $10. </p>
<p>It was odd on Parent Weekend, the grills weren’t open. Even though it was parent weekend, my daughter had so much money on her account, she wanted to use it on parents weekend, but they didn’t have the grills on for Salmon, etc, pretty much the salad bar, fast food like hamburgs and hot dogs=== not much of a selection. Ended up at Yamas. (Still want to make it to Simon Pearce…)</p>
<p>It would be great if they made it so you could use some of the dollars on the dining plan on the main street. I remember years ago visiting and they could use their cards at some places (it again was years ago from what I remember).</p>
<p>My son was in dorms during his freshmen and sophomore years. During sophomore summer he rented a room at his frat. Then in his junior year he rented an apartment with three other students on W. Wheelock Street. I don’t recall the deal with the dining plan but he cooked a lot in the apartment and saved money on food- maybe students are allowed to get a small modified plan if they are living off campus. I just don;t remember. This year as a senior he is back living at his frat. In the summer he will be living in Boston with some Dartmouth students and then in the fall he will be back in Hanover for his fifth year to get a BE in engineering. He will be renting an apartment with three other students on West St. I have the impression there are quite a few rentals available but there was an article in The Dartmouth recently about a local landlord that a lot of students were complaining about so you need to be careful.</p>
<p>Yeah, people are [pretty</a> upset about it](<a href=“Dartblog.com”>Dartblog.com). Student opposition is getting louder, but if concerned parents want to contact the administration too, any additional voices help (especially if they’re attached to a checkbook :rolleyes:).</p>
<p>By the way, here are the [url=<a href=“Home | Dartmouth Dining”>www.dartmouth.edu/dining/dds/smartchoice.html]details[/url</a>] about the new plans.</p>
<p>Thanks…my job is in possible transition (or I am), so trying to look at both keep track of my job and this dining plan. I have to read more about it, but my D has filled me in on the details.</p>
<p>I’m wondering about a meet-up of CC parents of Dartmouth '11s. Anyone??</p>
<p>Olymom is the mother of an '11, although she doesn’t frequent the Dartmouth forum. You might send her a PM.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Keep in mind, that article was written by Joseph Asch. He:</p>
<p>a) Is a lot less in touch with the pulse of student affairs than he seems to think he is</p>
<p>b) Doesn’t particularly like the administration</p>
<p>Not exactly an unbiased source. He and Dartblog have an agenda to begin with. So, take what he is reporting with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I don’t know any students who like the current or new plans. I’m sure they exist, but I’ve never found any. Everyone I know is either indifferent to the dining system (both the status quo and the proposal) or outright against it. So on this issue I don’t think Asch is too far off.</p>
<p>For those commenting on the DDS prices. DDS is an expensive operation to run, by historical design.</p>
<p>Be aware of the back story: D pays a “living wage” to all ee’s, including benefits. As a result, food service workers make a ton of money relative to skills and education required, especially in the 'hood. D also purchases a lot of organic/wholesome/fresh foods – which is more costly.</p>
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<p>I didn’t say it wasn’t true. I just said don’t accept it as true simply on the basis that Joe Asch said it.</p>
<p>Bloomberg TV broadcast it’s noon show from the Dartmouth campus outdoors today. The host, Tom Keene, had many complimentary things to say about the college and it’s ability to reach the world from it’s relatively remote location in New Hampshire. The first-year DOC trips and tennis balls at the Princeton hockey game were also mentioned. The weather couldn’t have been better.</p>
<p>Hope that shows on the web. Will look for it.</p>
<p>On another note, Dartmouth’s rural location is not perfect. Son’s bike was stolen over the weekend. The bubble has burst. Other than that, it has been a great year.</p>
<p>I hope that’s the worst thing that happens to him over four years.</p>
<p>Magnum, I’m sorry. One can feel very violated when the victim of a theft. I really just do not understand the mentality of thieves.</p>
<p>I been away on business, but even the off campus plan the per cost of each meal is $13. You are only allowed 5 meals a week. I assume since Off Campus, they think you each lunch there…that is very expensive lunch. Before, they could at least break up the dollars over several snacks, etc. Mini-dining is the same. D does not eat all the food…she has so much left on her account and had the mini one…that was even being able to break it down. I hate the fact that she has to take out student loans to pay a high fee for these plans. The new ones are even worse with a limit of only a few meals a week. </p>
<p>Like I say, we really love the school, but there are some things that could be better…</p>
<p>Notably, some say this plan was to help those on fin aid, but this is making it worse. The new plans will limit the number of meals they can get…where some likely spread it over the weekends and ohter meal times not covered. They are also lowering the dollars that can be spent. This isn’t taking into account the increase in the overall cost increase.</p>