Mandatory student meal plans opposed at Alaska university

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – A University of Alaska Fairbanks student has launched a protest campaign against the school’s mandatory meal plans for undergraduates living on campus.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Sunday that 19-year-old freshman Brennan Lippert says mandated meal plans are an extra financial burden for students who already pay high costs.

A spokeswoman says the university requires undergraduate students residing on campus to buy a meal plan, with the exception of undergraduates in on-campus family housing.

The school began requiring freshmen to live on campus this year.

Lippert has carried a sign on campus reading, “Mandatory Meal Plans are a Scam,” while gathering student signatures on a petition.

Lippert says acceptable changes include allowing students to opt out of meal plans and providing another campus residential option without a meal plan.
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Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com