<p>Have you really read all of the ‘fine print’ in the housing contracts? There’s a good chance there’s a line about the meal plan being required. IMO this is a big moneymaker for colleges and they want to make sure people are obliged to it.</p>
<p>I empathise with you - my D was also forced into a meal plan when living on-campus but she’s a vegetarian and their ‘vegetarian’ offering were, in her words, disgusting and unhealthy (loaded with butter and sauces). She also doesn’t really eat that much and she was charged the same as some football playing guy who probably eats 4 times what she eats. It was part of the package though and there’s was little to be done about it.</p>
<p>Regardless, I agree with the other posters that a rant is only good for being just that - a rant. It won’t get you what you really want which is to not pay for the meal plan. Instead of writing about your anger, be cunning and persuasive. Treat this as you would a final.</p>
<p>btw - Have you calculated how much it’d cost you for meals if you didn’t have the meal plan? It could be less but it could also be more. If nothing else there may not be enough of a difference to get too worked up over.</p>
<p>As far as the “notice” is concerned, no, you do not have a case. Legally, the information doesn’t have to be “easy to find”. Even relying on what an individual told you isn’t enough (“I enrolled because you told me that . . .”). You would have to prove both what the individual said (that person could of course deny it or say that you misunderstood, and “he said . . .she said” rarely works for the plaintiff); and that this person was actually authorized to make the statement. So if it were someone from admissions, say, rather than someone from Res Life, or a receptionist rather than a dean, you’d be out of luck there, too.</p>
<p>And of course any judge or jury will wonder, “If it were that important to you, why didn’t you get it in writing?”</p>
<p>Additionally, unless you can show that in addition to any statements you can prove, that the dorm had full kitchen facilities available to you (not just a fridge and microwave), it is unreasonable for you to have thought that no meal plan was required.</p>
<p>If you would like to PM me the name of the school, I’ll search its website for you and see if I can find the “required meal plan” information.</p>
<p>The only real option you have is Opie’s. If it is truly a medical situation, the school must provide accommodations under federal law. (Of course, the accommodations may not be the one you want - they may be able to show that their food plan can adequately address your medical condition, and then you’re out of luck.)</p>