Yale Hospitality has recently increased the value of the “Bow Wow” swipe to $12, a consequential effort following numerous advocacies made by the Yale College Council (YCC). Despite these improvements, criticism remains – as their flex point plan is currently underpriced by, at the very least, an estimated $800.
In a comprehensible evaluation conducted by Yale College Council, it was deduced that Yale’s flex point plan is undervalued by, approximately, $920. It prompted the YCC to propose a policy on September 15; the body is calling on Yale Hospitality to escalate flex points from 300 to 400 or, as an alternative, trim down the price of the flex meal plan to resolve this particular discrepancy.
This advocacy ensued subsequent to Yale Hospitality’s augmentation in the value of Bow Wow Swipe to $12, a change that was propelled by the relentless YCC lobbying. Sahra Wahedi, the Dining Team Director from YCC, commented on the issue, advocating for equity, as rising costs at the Bow Wow, Elm, and other Yale Hospitality retail locations have led the students to bear additional or unplanned expenses to offset their lost meal swipes.
Under the current scheme, students on the flex point meal plan are entitled to 14 weekly and 10 guest swipes per semester, standing out in contrast to 21 weekly and 5 guest swipes under the full meal plan, which costs the same. An extra benefit for those students on the flex meal plan is that they also receive 300 flex points which can be utilized at residential dining halls and Yale cafes.
In the preceding year, a significant step towards valuation change was taken by Carter Dewees, who embarked on a policy proposal aiming to enhance the value of the Bow Wow meal swipe. The proposal shone light on the discrepancy in the cost of a lunch meal swipe, priced at $13.50, and the value of a swipe at Bow Wow, which was only $10 at the time. It invited Yale Hospitality to increase the value of the Bow Wow meal swipe accordingly.
At the beginning of the academic year, Yale Hospitality raised the Bow Wow swipe value to $12, a move guided by YCC’s advocacy from the previous year. It is considered an alignment that offers increased value to the students.
In addition to the increase in the Bow Wow meal swipe value, some items’ prices have also gone up at Bow Wow, Elm, and Ivy. Despite lacking detailed knowledge of the specific price hikes, some items’ prices have been noticed to increase by approximately $0.5-$1.0. So, while the Bow Wow meal swipe value increase was successful, so too were some price increases.
Yale Hospitality, in its defense, stated that the recent price changes in the Bow Wow and Elm are part of an annual price review considering several factors like national inflation and market trends. It is an institution’s regular undertaking to remain competitive while keeping an eye on the operating costs and maintaining appropriate margins.
Based on recent plans, Wahedi and YCC Dining Team Director Anna Krans are anticipating presenting the Senate proposal to increase flex points to 400 in an upcoming meeting with Yale Hospitality. Wahedi expressed gratitude to Yale Hospitality for their efforts to deescalate the price of a meal but insisted on seeking further improvements concerning the value of flex points.
Yale Hospitality maintained that although there are no particular plans to adjust the flex points at this point, they will retain a constant evaluation process and continue active discussions with YCC to ensure flexibility and affordability for the students. Their main challenge at this point, according to Wahedi, is to convince Yale Hospitality to be open to this concern and delicately discuss standardizing the Flex Plan with the Full Meal Plan. The aim is to find a balance of points that caters to students needs while keeping their original value intact.
Yale Hospitality is continuously working towards enhancing the strategies to benefit students and to maintain a robust financial structure, a challenge that has been put forward and that the institution willingly accepts. To fulfil this objective, it requires that proper strategies are adopted and plans are executed meticulously.
