Boston College Dining is considering switching to an all-you-can-eat, swipe-in meal plan system, Student Senator Addie Weiss shared at the UGBC Senate meeting Tuesday night.
“[BC Dining Director Beth Emery] had just mentioned the very real conversations that are taking place about switching to a swipe system”, said Weiss, MCAS ’27.
Weiss said Emery’s comment was in response to a student’s question and that she did not elaborate further. If BC Dining ultimately decides to move to a swipe system, Weiss added, it would be at least a few years before the change took effect.
“It’s not like, ‘Oh, next year it’s gonna happen’ … she did say that it is something that they are thinking about and considering and could potentially be implemented next year,” Weiss said.
The comment marks a shift in tone by Emery, who has previously defended the declining balance system, arguing that a swipe system would be significantly more expensive for students and lead to more food waste.
A survey conducted by BC Dining in 2022 found that 70 percent of respondents preferred the declining balance system over a swipe system.
While the Senate has repeatedly raised the prospect of a swipe system and lower meal-plan prices with BC Dining, some Senators have redirected their efforts over the past year toward suggesting practical improvements for the dining halls instead.
According to Weiss, BC Dining has spent more money on utensils this semester than any previous one. When asked why drinks, grab-and-go items, and utensils are frequently out of stock, Emory acknowledged the problem and attributed it to staff shortages, Weiss said.
“There’s been a lot of staffing turnover—they’re catching up on both numbers and having staff that’s up to date on policies, so they assured me that it should work itself out over time,” Weiss said.
Beginning next year, Weiss said BC Dining will switch its mobile ordering platform from GetMobile to GrubHub. In addition, they will add gluten-free bagel cutters to all dining halls and include Halal labels on baked goods that contain alcohol.
Later in the meeting, Cami Kulbieda, academic affairs committee chair and LSEHD ’26, shared that the University Council on Teaching approved a question for end-of-semester course evaluations that student senator Mariame Diop, MCAS ’27, initially proposed.
The question—which is still pending final approval by the dean’s office—will ask students whether they found textbooks and required course materials useful for their learning.
“We’ve been consistently trying to figure out ways for faculty to be more aware of and familiar with Canvas and be able to use Course Resources, because a lot of the time you go to buy a book and then you only need to read a couple of chapters of it,” Kulbieda said.
At the end of the meeting, Weiss shared that after contacting BC Facilities Management about offensive graffiti etched into wooden cubicles in O’Neill and Bapst Libraries, they quickly removed a significant amount.
“These are easy little wins that we can work on here, trying to make the campus a better and cleaner place,” said Katie Garrigan, UGBC vice president and MCAS ’25.
UGBC president Meghan Heckelman, LSEHD ’25, praised the Senate for its work so far this year and said that this year’s group of student senators is the most productive she has seen.
“I think this is the best Senate that we’ve had, at least in the time that I’ve been at BC and in UGBC,” Heckelman said.
