Monique Demarais
With RSU growing as fast as it is there are most definitely going to be some changes throughout the campus. The Centennial Center, remodeled Baird Hall, and the new dorms that are in progress all attest to the rapid progress our campus is seeing.
With these changes there are a few things that have students frustrated; first, the lack of wireless internet in the new dorms, and more recently the requirement for all students living on campus to buy $200 worth of “Cat Cash” per semester.
Cat Cash is similar to a meal plan. It is money that goes into an account for each student and is accessible through their student ID. It can be used at the convenient store on campus and the Hillcat Hut.
This really doesn’t seem so terrible at first, but considering that the student apartments all have kitchens, it seems kind of ridiculous to require students to spend $200 on something they may not even need.
In the past, students living on campus were not required to buy a meal plan or spend money on Cat Cash. All of the apartments have a full kitchen which allows students to make their own food. However, there is the Hillcat Hut which is a café open for all students. This provided an opportunity for students to get a hot meal without having to cook.
Now, students are required to spend money at the convenient store and Hillcat Hut. It’s not an option. While this would be understandable if there were no kitchens in the dorms, there are full kitchens in all four-unit apartments are there are kitchenettes in all of the single and double unit apartments.
The Hillcat Hut is open during the day, but they close early in the evening. This makes it extremely inconvenient for students who wish to eat dinner there. Also, the food there is very limited. Most of the items on the menu are fried or unhealthy in some way and the only thing on the menu that varies is the daily special.
Requiring students to spend $200 on Cat Cash is ridiculous and infuriating. It would be one thing if there were places to spend that money in the dorms, more than just two options of where to buy food, and healthy meal options. Since those aren’t viable options it is unfair that they are requiring students to spend such a significant amount of money on something so ill-planned.
I agree, I do not live on campus so I am not requiered to waste the $200. That being said, I have several friends who do live on campus and I find it severly stupid, as do they, to spend money on something you may never use. I think this is a cheap trick to pull money out of students who already struggle to pay for their education. There is no point to it. It is just a way to formally steal from those living on campus.