Saturday, October 11, 2008
Resident Dining Plans consist of Resident Points and Terp Bucks. The bulk of the points are Resident Points. These may be used in the two main dining rooms (South Campus Dining Room and The Diner) and at Adele’s Restaurant for dinner. The rest of the points are Terp Bucks. These may be used at 18 on-campus cafés, quick food locations, and convenience shops.
A Resident Dining Plan is a one-semester contract. The points are intended to provide food for the resident student during the semester and expire at the end of the semester. They do not roll over and are not refundable. We hope you use all of points during the semester and we provide strategies to help you stay on track.
“Budget Your Points” helps you determine how many points you should spend per week.
Resident Points are included in the budgeting system; Terp Bucks are not.
Focus dates occur every three weeks. These dates are posted in each dining room and on this website. If you are using your dining plan as it was designed, your point balance will be below the maximum point value a day or two before each focus date. Be sure to check your balance regularly and stay on track by spending your points evenly throughout the semester and during each three-week focus period. Students who have more points than the maximum account balance at the focus date will see a decrease in their Resident Point balance.
To make budgeting easier, we encourage you to create a customized weekly budget to determine your own rate of spending. Your budget should consider travel schedules, visits home, and restaurant or club meals.
After two consecutive semesters on the resident dining plan, you can opt out of budgeting. If you opt out, your resident points are not subject to the focus maximum values, however, there is a 40 point-per-day spending cap for the last weeks of the semester. Complete the Opt-Out Request online using Online Services before the end of the second week of classes. You will need to renew your opt-out request every September.
