Eat, Drink and be Careful

Three weeks ago, when the new plan for Dining Hall service went into effect, anguished cries of "they're trying to starve us" rang out from famished undergraduate throats. Since then, the hunger pains-both real and imagined-have subsided somewhat, and for the time contentment reigns again.

But the problem raised by the change in the system is as intense as ever. With food costs shooting up rapidly, and with drastic changes already effected in the collegiate program, the question of board rates is a pressing one. The present system was inaugurated by the Business Office of the University with the idea that an experiment to try to discover the most effective way of meeting the situation was in order; it recognized the need for experimentation and for questioning of previous methods.

In the long run it is the undergraduate who must pay, and who must decide for himself what sort of payment plan he prefers. Both the University and the Student Council have recognized this, and both have asked for a concrete expression of student opinion. As a result, the Crimson poll which is being conducted today represents an attempt to crystallize the heretofore scattered views of Dining Hall denizens.

It is well to remember, first of all, that the present system of no replacements or seconds is a purely experimental one, and that some sort of change is contemplated for the near future. The important consideration is that of what this change will be. In general, there are two possibilities; a return to the previous system of unlimited substitutions and seconds, with an accompanying increase in the board rate, or, on the other hand, a maintenance of the existent $8.50 weekly rate, with substitution and seconds of certain selected items permitted.

Business Manager Aldrich Durant has pointed out that the present restriction on beverages will soon be lifted, and that other limitations may also go by the board-all without an increase in the weekly rate. He also notes that a return to the former system will mean a boost in prices to at least $10.00 weekly, and probably more.

Bear these facts in mind when you vote today. They are practical considerations that are apt to hit you not only in the stomach, but in your pocketbook as well. Your considered vote will do much towards giving the powers-that-be a reasonable idea of what you want and how you want it.