Are Wheaton Students prisoners of the meal plan?

Cage Free Eggs at Chase

Are Wheaton Students prisoners of the Meal Plan?

Ah, Chase. You'll smell it before you see it. And then you see it, all the junk food you could ever want: endless fries, pizza, hamburgers and cookies. The "freshman fifteen" suddenly seems more like a reality and less like a myth. Chase Square has a more "home-cooked" meal feel to the items: eggplant parmesan, a chicken dish of some sort, etc. But what of the vegans? I guess its salad and/or peanut butter and jelly, again. My freshman year (the only year I was on the meal plan) I certainly gained at least fifteen pounds due to the sheer amount of peanut butter I was consuming. But this weight gain was not indicative of improved nutrition. In fact, I stopped getting my period because Wheaton's vegan options were so limited. I was lucky though because I was able to get an exemption from the meal plan without a doctor's note, although the cessation of menstruation very well may have warranted one. Since then Wheaton's meal plan exemption policy has changed drastically, making Wheaton students prisoners of the meal plan. Many Wheaton students who had previously been granted a meal plan waiver have been put back on the meal plan against their wishes and no longer can you use moral or ethical reasons to be excuse, but rather you must have a disability. It appears a lifestyle choice like veganism is not a valid enough reason to not eat Emerson's macaroni and cheese. Additionally there's the question of where does this food come from? Wheaton's menu does feature produce items from nearby farms but what about the meat? Confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are the evilest of evils in terms of animal raising and I'm sure many Wheaton students will agree. However, we should not forget the success of the cage free egg campaign, although it was like pulling teeth to get dining services on board. Cage free or not, the eggs at Chase (pictured above) are not suitable for vegans, for which there are few other options. Many students are perfectly content to be on the meal plan but for those who are not it is way to difficult to get off. Eating is a basic human need and we should be able to choose how we do so. To demand students to partake in the meal plan (whose wish it is not to) is to put a restraint on the freedom to eat as we choose.