Three Kentucky lawmakers have filed a bill that would prohibit public colleges and universities in the state to implement mandatory meal plans for commuter students, reports the Louisville Courier-Journal. The move was prompted by a recent requirement at the University of Louisville that all undergraduate students, including commuters, must purchase a meal plan. For commuters, the cost is $175 a semester, a reduction from the original proposal that called for $250 a semester.
The university says it needs the revenue stream in order to meet longstanding student requests for an improved campus dining service. Dining services provider Sodexo has committed to investing $5.7 million on those improvements, but the university says it needs the extra revenue to meet its end of the contractual arrangement with the company.