Photo: Ryerson University
Students concerned about food options on campus
Cole Brocksom
Ryerson has changed the rules for the meal plans available to students living in residence for the
2018-2019 school year, but some students have concerns about the shortcomings of the new system.
Before this year, the meal plan was just a lump sum of various sizes, depending on the selected
option, that you could use to pay for food at any of the food vendors on campus.
“I wish it was like what it was last year, but there’s nothing I can really do about that,” said first-
year sport media student Ivan Ellis, who lives in Pitman Hall.
This year, students are given a sum of money to use at the ‘all-you-care-to-eat’ dining halls in
the Pitman Hall and ILC residence buildings, and an additional $400 called ‘flex dollars’ to spend at the
other campus eateries.
The main sum is divided so students can have $22 a day, which residents spend to eat as much
or as little as they want for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Students are given the choice between a plan
for five days a week or seven days a week.
“I have the five-day meal plan, so I thought I would use my flex dollars on the weekends,”
Explained Allison Kinahan, a first-year theatre production student living in Pitman Hall.
“It turns out most of the flex dollar locations are closed on the weekend, so you have to grocery
shop and spend money on top of the meal plan you’ve already paid for.”
Kinahan said she found the food offered in the residence dining halls to be repetitive, and that it
was too expensive for the quality.
Ellis agreed on the “rough” quality of the food in residence, saying that he had frequently found
the chicken or fish to be undercooked, “which is extremely unhealthy for you.”
“I learned pretty quickly on that it’s probably just best that I cook in my room,” Ellis said.
Erika French, a first-year geographic analysis student living in ILC doesn’t like that the all-you-
care-to-eat structure doesn’t allow students to take food out of the dining halls.
“For students who have classes all day, they are not able to bring food with them. This causes
them to buy extra food which is expensive on top of the already costly meal plan,” French said.
The other on-campus options for food include the student-run Oakham Café and the Ram in the
Rye pub, Balzac’s coffee, and various smaller university-run eateries and kiosks. Students with meal
plans can use their flex dollars at these locations.
Otherwise, students will have to spend their money at various other food vendors downtown.
Ellis said he mostly gets groceries from Loblaws because it’s cheaper, but he takes advantage of
the 10 per cent student discount at Metro from Tuesdays to Thursdays as well.
Ali Baba’s shawarma restaurant also offers deals for students, and as such is a popular choice for
Ryerson students.
First-year nursing student Lorilee Padua said she enjoys the options closest to campus for the
speed and convenience.
“I get Basil Box because it’s literally two minutes away from here, and it’s a healthy option,”
Padua said.
However, Padua commutes from North York and doesn’t have a meal plan, so she prefers to
bring food from home to avoid paying high prices for food downtown.
“I try not to eat off campus, because it’s expensive,” Kinahan agreed. “But it’s tough sometimes.
Healthy eats on and around Campus
Video courtesy of Emma Sandri
Where to find popular food locations on campus
Map courtesy of Manus Hopkins
“I like Basil Box because it is close to campus and it’s healthy”
– Lorilee Padua, Nursing. #JRN270 #Ryerson(Manus Hopkins / Section 4 Group 2) pic.twitter.com/LbDjnaQSyO
— JRN Section 4 Group 1 (@jrn_1) November 2, 2018
“The place that I like to go is the Ram in the Rye, Oakham Cafe is also nice too.”
– Ivan Ellis, Sport Media#JRN270 #Ryerson(Manus Hopkins / Section 4 Group 2) pic.twitter.com/uHXTUusNC6
— JRN Section 4 Group 1 (@jrn_1) November 2, 2018
Here is a map created by @mhoopkins of some of the more common locations for students to get food at #Ryerson. #JRN270
Check it out
Student-Friendly Food? – https://t.co/Qo4fP0wMyi
— JRN Section 4 Group 1 (@jrn_1) November 2, 2018
Check out this infographic created by @MHoopkins that shows how students rate their food options on campus.
#reviews #JRN270 #Ryerson pic.twitter.com/n50rQcWtuX— JRN Section 4 Group 1 (@jrn_1) November 2, 2018
Some students are not satisfied with the quality and options of the meal plan on campus. Here’s a preview of what our reporter @ColeBrocksom collected today. #JRN270 #Ryerson pic.twitter.com/8IpfKOndZp
— JRN Section 4 Group 1 (@jrn_1) November 2, 2018
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