Rhodes College is a residential college that believes dining together is essential for building a sense of community among students. As a result, all students residing on campus in the residence halls must purchase a meal plan.
Bon Appétit Management Company, Rhodes College's food service provider, specializes in scratch cooking using fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients. To serve the campus' needs, Bon Appétit provides a variety of menu options and has designed the program to be as inclusive as possible. Students will find abundant plant-forward and vegan options and menu choices made without the top nine allergens every day. For more information, visit the Bon Appétit website.
The college offers four meal plans for students' dietary needs and budgets.
Bon Appétit provides convenient and balanced choices in our three campus dining locations. Students can choose from 7 (East Village A/B, East Village C Townhouse, Spann, and Parkway Hall only), 15, and unlimited meals per week for residential students and 5, 7, 15, or unlimited meals per week for commuting students—whichever plan best fits your needs. Meal plans can be used at “The Rat,” Lynx Lair, and the Middle Ground.
The meal plan is effective at the beginning of each semester term. The first meal served is typically dinner on the Sunday before the first day of classes for that term. The last meal served for the semester term will be the breakfast meal following the last day of final exams for that semester term. All scheduled serving days are in accordance with the college academic calendar and are subject to change if the calendar should be revised. Meal plans are not active during academic breaks.
The academic breaks are:
- Fall Recess: Dinner, Friday, October 18, 2024 is the last meal before Fall Recess; the meal plan resumes with Dinner, Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
- Thanksgiving Recess: Dinner, Tuesday, November 26, 2024 is the last meal before Thanksgiving Recess; The meal plan resumes with Dinner, Sunday, December 1, 2024
- Winter Recess: Breakfast, Thursday, December 19, 2024 is the last meal before Winter Recess; . the meal plan resumes with Dinner, Sunday, January 12, 2025.
- Spring Recess: Dinner, Friday, March 7, 2025 is the last meal before Spring Recess; the meal plan resumes with Dinner, Sunday, March 16, 2025.
- Easter Recess: Dinner, Wednesday, April 16 is the last meal before Easter Recess; the meal plan resumes with Dinner, Sunday, April 20, 2025.
As stated in the Housing Contract:
Each student residing in a residence hall or college apartment must maintain a residential meal plan (Section 7: Meal Plan).
All returning students must choose a meal plan. All residence halls offer a 15-meal or unlimited package, and East Village A&B, Parkway Hall, Spann Place, and East Village C Townhouse residents also have the option of a 7-meal plan package. (Section 3 Payment Terms Room and Board Charges).
First-year students are assigned an unlimited meal plan (Section 3, Payment Terms, Room and Board Charges).
For billing inquiries, contact Rhodes Express at express@rhodes.edu.
Accommodations and Exemptions
Rhodes College provides a range of dining options, including gluten-free, halal, vegan, and other healthy eating choices. Although not guaranteed, special diets can generally be accommodated within our regular offerings. Students with special diets must provide appropriate paperwork or a dietary plan from the student’s physician documenting a need for an exemption from the meal plan requirements.
Rhodes College Dining cannot assume any liability for adverse reactions to food consumed or items one may encounter while eating at any dining facility or catered event.
Students may request meal plan accommodation based on 1) dietary or meal plan accommodation based on disability or 2) religious accommodation/exemption.
Please Note: Vegetarianism or veganism is not considered a valid reason for a meal plan exemption. Our chefs carefully consider vegetarian dietary requirements in menu and recipe planning, and healthy vegetarian items are offered each meal period. Information for vegetarians is available from the Bon Appetit Dining Services.
Financial need is not considered a valid reason for a meal plan exemption.
Dietary Accommodation Requests
Students seeking a dietary or meal plan accommodation based on disability must complete the following steps:
- Meet with Dan Connolly, Bon Appétit Regional Dietician, to discuss your needs and options.
- Complete the SAS Accommodation Request Process.
Contact SAS@rhodes.edu with questions about this process.
Religious Exemption Request
Process
To request a religious exemption from the meal plan, students must submit the Religious Meal Plan Exemption Request Form and all the supporting documentation outlined in the form. Once submitted, students will receive an email confirming the receipt of their request. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact Student Life at studentlife@rhodes.edu to ensure that your request was received.
Once the Meal Plan Exemption Request Form and all supporting documentation are received, the committee will review them in partnership with Dining Services and either approve the request in full or partially, deny it, or ask for additional information. Incomplete requests will NOT be reviewed. Decisions are sent to the student’s Rhodes email.
Required Documentation
Please ensure that the following documentation and your request form are submitted. Incomplete requests will NOT be reviewed.
1. A completed Religious Meal Plan Exemption Request form.
2. A signed letter on original letterhead from an authorized religious official of the student’s religious tradition explaining the specific restrictions regarding dietary needs. The letter should contain the student's name and be addressed to Rhodes College - Student Life. Religious officials must be non-relatives.
3. A letter from the student explaining how they plan to accommodate their dietary restrictions in the residential kitchen available for their use.
Once completed, the student should upload this form when they complete their request online. In addition to the necessary documentation, the student must meet with the Bon Appetit Regional Dietician. The Regional Dietician will make recommendations for accommodation based on the information provided.
All requests must be received before July 1 to be considered for the fall semester or the entire academic year. Decisions will be communicated around July 22. Subsequent requests after the July 1 deadline will be reviewed within fifteen (15) business days.
All requests must be received before October 18 to be considered for the spring semester. Decisions will be communicated around November 1. Subsequent requests after the October 18 deadline will be reviewed within ten (10) business days.
Exemption requests must be resubmitted annually for each year that a student wants to remain exempt.
Students wishing to appeal a decision to deny their meal plan exemption request can submit a written appeal to the Associate Vice President for Student Life & Dean of Students at dos@rhodes.edu within four (4) business days of the decision being sent to the student.