We Shouldn’t Have to “Work for Our Meal”
The Issue
URI students deserve meaningful control over the dining funds they have already paid for!
As of the 2026–2027 school year, Dining Services changed which items at the Mainfare Corner Store can be purchased with Dining Dollars.
Students can no longer use Dining Dollars for pantry staples such as ramen, pasta, sauces, and spices. Frozen foods and other items now require payment through a RAM Account, cash, or a debit or credit card. According to Dining Services, roughly 80% of Corner Store items remain eligible for Dining Dollars. However, these changes remove access to food categories that are important for students who rely on quick, affordable, and flexible options between classes or while commuting.
Students also report that they were not directly notified about these changes before the semester began. Many students only became aware of the new restrictions through social media and conversations with other students.
We are asking URI Dining Services and university leadership to listen to students, reconsider these restrictions, and restore the ability to use Dining Dollars for a broader range of food at the Corner Store. Students should have flexibility in deciding what food works for their schedules, dietary needs, living situations, and budgets.
When discussing the changes, Director of Dining Services Pierre St-Germain stated:
“We feed our students, so there’s always an option of actually working for your meal.”
For many students, this comment has intensified concerns about how URI is approaching food access. It has also raised concerns about the realities students face while balancing academics, employment, housing costs, transportation, and other responsibilities.
We are not asking URI to provide unlimited free food.
We are asking for greater flexibility in using funds that students have already paid as part of their dining plans and tuition. We are also asking for meaningful student input and communication when major changes are made to those plans. Students should not have to choose between working additional hours and having access to the food options available through a dining program they already paid for.
Please sign this petition to show URI that students want their concerns about food access, dining costs, transparency, and student choice to be taken seriously.
754
The Issue
URI students deserve meaningful control over the dining funds they have already paid for!
As of the 2026–2027 school year, Dining Services changed which items at the Mainfare Corner Store can be purchased with Dining Dollars.
Students can no longer use Dining Dollars for pantry staples such as ramen, pasta, sauces, and spices. Frozen foods and other items now require payment through a RAM Account, cash, or a debit or credit card. According to Dining Services, roughly 80% of Corner Store items remain eligible for Dining Dollars. However, these changes remove access to food categories that are important for students who rely on quick, affordable, and flexible options between classes or while commuting.
Students also report that they were not directly notified about these changes before the semester began. Many students only became aware of the new restrictions through social media and conversations with other students.
We are asking URI Dining Services and university leadership to listen to students, reconsider these restrictions, and restore the ability to use Dining Dollars for a broader range of food at the Corner Store. Students should have flexibility in deciding what food works for their schedules, dietary needs, living situations, and budgets.
When discussing the changes, Director of Dining Services Pierre St-Germain stated:
“We feed our students, so there’s always an option of actually working for your meal.”
For many students, this comment has intensified concerns about how URI is approaching food access. It has also raised concerns about the realities students face while balancing academics, employment, housing costs, transportation, and other responsibilities.
We are not asking URI to provide unlimited free food.
We are asking for greater flexibility in using funds that students have already paid as part of their dining plans and tuition. We are also asking for meaningful student input and communication when major changes are made to those plans. Students should not have to choose between working additional hours and having access to the food options available through a dining program they already paid for.
Please sign this petition to show URI that students want their concerns about food access, dining costs, transparency, and student choice to be taken seriously.
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Petition created on September 25, 2026