Students critique the required meal plans to live on campus

by Hortencia López and Julia Rants

During the fall 2025 semester, Cal Poly Humboldt started requiring all students living in the dorms to have a meal plan. In the past, the requirement to purchase a meal plan was tied to residence halls like Canyon and The Hill which typically house freshmen. This requirement also requires first-year students graduating from high schools outside Humboldt and Del Norte counties to live on campus for two years.

“Our campus has always had a very high adoption of meal plans (85%+),” said Melissa Hutsell, from CPH’s Marketing and Communications. “We know that providing campus dining options to students helps build community, and in turn, student success. It helps support student wellness and plays an important role in reducing food insecurity.”

Not all students agree with the change. Penelope Montemayor is a CPH junior studio art and art history museum studies major. Montemayor discussed how her required meal plan on campus hasn’t been working for her. Montemayor enjoys cooking and chooses to make meals at home instead of using meal swipes.

“Personally, I don’t enjoy it,” Montemayor said. “I stopped using my swipes like last month because the food’s been making me sick and so I haven’t been going to The J.”

Shota Lam, sophomore environmental resource engineering major, shared that every student’s needs are different and what works for one student may not work for somebody else.

“I think it’s worth it if you go there enough,” Lam said. “Like, if you go twice a day, I’d say it’s worth it, but anything under that I’d say it’s not worth it.”

On campus there are four meal plan options for students to choose from. The meal plans range in price and size, with the highest cost being the All Access 7 Day meal plan at $6,714 a year and the lowest cost being the Lumberjack meal plan at $2,526 a year, according to the university’s website. Humboldt’s Housing and Residence Life website outlines which dorms on campus require specific meal plans.

“Residents of the Canyon, the Hill or Creekview Suites are required to have one of the All Access meal plans. Residents of Creekview Apartments, College Creek, Hinarr Hu Moulik and Cypress are required to have any one of the meal plans. Residents will be assigned the minimum meal plan required for their assigned living area, should they select a lesser meal plan.”

The university shared that students can submit exceptions for medical reasons and financial hardship. These are done through the Campus Disability Resource Center and Housing.

Other concerns were raised by students about dietary restrictions, affordability and getting balanced meals as a vegetarian or vegan.

Sam Bartels, junior studio arts and art education major, discussed the lack of food options and was unaware of the new meal plan requirement.

“I didn’t know that,” Bartels said. “If they’re going to make everyone do it, they better have really accessible and healthy food for everybody.”

The university said they work to provide variety in their dining options for students who are vegan and vegetarian. The J’s vegan bar has been a staple in offering vegan and vegetarian meals.

Bartels shared despite these options, finding meals on campus can still be difficult.

“There’s not a lot of accessible food in my area. There’s not a lot of food vending machines where I live, there’s like chips and drinks,” Bartels said. “But I wish they had something that was a little more sustainable. I feel like I have to run all over campus to find something to eat.”