Students will have different options this spring when it comes time to choose a meal plan for next year. The good news is the new plan will be a “flex points” only system that does away with all “meals” and meal times. More good news includes the possibility that other franchises will join Burger King in J Street. The bad news is all freshmen, sophomores and juniors who live on campus will be required to participate in the meal plan. Students may be getting more meal flexibility, but it comes at the cost of paying for a meal plan for another year.

Next year, students will choose from four meal plan options, ranging in price from $950 to $1,600 per semester. Two additional plans, $250 or $500 per semester, will be available to juniors and those seniors unwilling (or unable) to cook for themselves. Gone for at least next year will be designated meal times, which many students complained were constraining. The biggest downside to getting rid of the “meals” is students will have to pay for each separate food item instead of the meal package.

In the next few years, GW students may be able to choose among nationally known brands of pizza, pretzels, smoothies and bagels. However, higher prices come with these greater choices. The University warns students that they might see a five to 10 percent price increase at franchise stations. Paying inflated prices for average products is nothing new at GW, but that doesn’t make it right.

Rising juniors who were hoping to be free of the meal plan altogether are left with two options – wait another year or move off campus. Why the University felt it necessary to extend its meal plan requirements to another class of students remains a mystery – unless perhaps it is simply a ploy to make more money. But students won with two of the three changes. At GW, that’s probably as good as it gets.