By Madeline Condor | Staff Writer
Baylor Dining Services is offering five free meal swipes for any dining hall on campus to all students, except those with a seven-day meal plan.
The form to sign up allows one submission per student and says the swipes will be added to students’ accounts in one to two business days due to the high volume of responses.
Although it is not yet certain if the program will become a permanent part of student life, Sean McMahon, district manager for Dining Services, said it is going well so far. He said over a thousand passes have already been given out.
“It is so far aligning with our missions and Baylor’s mission,” McMahon said. “We’re going to evaluate it this semester and consider taking the initiative long-term.”
McMahon said the program serves a dual purpose.
“The initiative was introduced recently in an effort to reflect Baylor Dining’s commitment to offering memorable student experiences on campus,” McMahon said. “The other thought with this was to help solve a need for the food insecurity on campus.”
The program creates the opportunity for people who may need a meal throughout the semester to use one of the five swipes any time they choose. Colleyville senior Mallory Sadd said she thinks the program is great for busy students who live off campus.
“I don’t live on campus anymore,” Sadd said. “This is a fun chance to get to go back to the dining halls again.”
Another project Dining Services started is the Daily Bread Cafe, which is located on the first floor of East Village Dining Hall. Students, faculty and staff can purchase a hot meal for $2, and there are also grab-and-go sandwiches and wraps available for purchase.
“Part of giving these away is in the hopes of people going to East Village and seeing the $2 cafe as well and spread the word about the $2 cafe on campus,” McMahon said.
The vision for the free meal swipes is to one day partner with the university to give the food insecure more opportunities for meals on campus, McMahon said.
“We just really want to try and align with the campus community and make sure that we’re taking care of the students that are on campus,” McMahon said.
