Prior to Fall 2026, Virginia Tech proposed the Unlimited Plans for students which was intended to offer more flexibility, nutrition, and financial incentive for mundane ongoings when acquiring food on campus. But since its inception, experiencing the dining has only been more of a headache than benefit.

With tumultuous academic and personal lives, convenience as been stripped away with long food lines, small portions, and general mismanagement of the new plan. Virginia Tech tries to circumvent this issue by providing students with a measly $200 declining balance and 2 meal exchanges per week. Indicative of their lack of understanding for the current/prospective students. To add insult to injury, they've taken away the 50% discount, further emphasizing their greed rather than the students well-being.

What is being proposed is not a new system, but an opportunity for students to change their meal plan following the first week of classes. A 1-2 week extension for the deadline would suffice. Students have had the opportunity to experience and become acclimated to the new dining plan, and should have the choice to either remain or change their personal plans. 

Ultimately, if Virginia Tech truly stands by its guiding principle of Ut Prosim “That I May Serve,” then it must listen to the students it claims to put first, because a dining system that creates unnecessary burdens rather than supporting its students does not live up to the very tenet the university was founded upon.