IWU Dining has changed their swipe policy for the Bertholf Commons in order to deter students from sharing their meal swipes.
Students may not use their student ID to swipe into the Bertholf Commons more than once in an hour.
But, they can swipe multiple times within an hour at other locations or in combination with the Bertholf Commons.
After the initial announcement, IWU Dining clarified on their instagram @iwueats, “If you grab breakfast at SAGA and then decide to grab a coffee at Titan Brew before class, you can!”
The change comes from students swiping multiple times in succession, either for more food or to swipe another person in.
Over the years, students have shared meal swipes from their own account with friends who have run out of meal swipes or do not have their student ID.
”It’s extremely disappointing to come back from break with new restrictions on how students can spend their prepaid meal swipes,” senior Thomas Day said.
Senior Quinn Gifford said “since it’s just affecting SAGA and nowhere else, it seems pretty obvious to me that the sole purpose of the change was to keep people from swiping in other students.”
Gifford also said, “It is incentivizing them to buy meal plans.”
Because one meal swipe accounts for one meal, two meal swipes – even from the same account – in the Bertholf Commons would account for two students’ meals.
IWU Dining’s One Hour Rule prevents this, and students have voiced their frustration with limitations to their unlimited meal plan.
Commenters on the @iwueats post have pointed out that the new policy not only prevented sharing swipes, but also punished students who want to eat multiple times within the hour.
”I think you should be able to spend your swipes how you want even if it’s for other people,” senior Nick Gryl said. “You already paid for them, IWU is already getting the money.”
But some students disagreed and said the new policy was fair.
”On the All Access Plan, you could hypothetically swipe an absurd number of people into Bertholf Commons every week,” senior Rowan Danou said.
“Ultimately, Dining Services gets to set the terms of how the meal plan operates,” Danou said.
Due to the increased oversight, some students have still experienced difficulty swiping at multiple locations within an hour.
”IWU Dining was quick to de-escalate upset students after the instagram announcement with promises that still have not been met,” Day said.
“It’s just a blatantly greedy choice that hurts people