LSUS meal plan gains traction with students heading into its third year

More than $110,000 has been deposited through the program’s first two years, including an $8,000 increase in student-funded accounts from the first to the second year.

Because the plan allows students to use financial aid at campus venues — including The Port Grille, the library coffee shop STACKS and campus vending machines — LSUS Food Services is seeing a steady rise in student customers.

Trish Farnsworth-Smith, director of LSUS Auxiliary Services, said families and students are becoming more aware of the program’s convenience and flexibility.

"We’re continuing to reinforce that this opportunity is here, and students and their families are becoming more aware of the benefits of this program, especially being able to use financial aid," Farnsworth-Smith said. "We’ve partnered more closely with recruitment and admissions staff, and it’s very heartening to hear our student ambassadors talk about it when they are giving campus tours to prospective students and their families."

Instead of using traditional meal swipes, Pilot Dining Dollars operates as a declining balance account linked to student ID cards, functioning like a debit card. Funds deposited into the account are tax-exempt, helping stretch student budgets further.

Students register and make an initial deposit during the open enrollment period, which runs Aug. 1 through Sept. 4. Account balances roll over throughout the academic year through July, but do not carry over to the following fall semester.

STACKS, the library coffee shop, recorded the highest growth in the program's second year, seeing an increase of nearly 30% in Pilot Dining Dollars spending.

"We’re seeing that students who have the plan are bringing students who don’t have a plan, and that’s increasing student engagement overall in our dining areas," Farnsworth-Smith said.

Enhancing the on-campus experience — alongside near-capacity occupancy at Pilots Pointe Apartments and growing overall enrollment — was a primary driver behind launching the meal plan in 2024.

"The parents absolutely dial in when the meal plan is discussed because they want to know how their child is going to eat," Farnsworth-Smith said.