Braden Bonney, a third-year political science major, has been underwhelmed with his meal plan experience during his time at UT.
“It’s really frustrating,” Bonney said. “I feel like ever since I came here, the value of what I’m getting out of my meal plan has just been going down overtime.”
For the past few years, UT students have enjoyed the flexibility of using cash equivalency at Provisions on Demand Markets around campus. From frozen meals, to protein bars, to medicine, to notebooks, the goods offered in POD Markets are quickly accessible and conveniently located.
This year, however, Vol Dining threw students a curveball, drastically decreasing the number and variety of items in the markets available to be purchased via meal swipe. In previous years, all items in POD Markets were purchasable by or with the help of a meal swipe, which is valued at $5.50. The change made this year limited the meal swipe-eligible items to only certain food products, specifically food products resembling a meal rather than snacks or drinks.
For the past few years, University of Tennessee students have enjoyed the flexibility of using cash equivalency at Provisions on Demand Markets around campus. Sept. 9, 2025.
“The main focus was to make sure to encourage students to get a traditional ‘meal’ within a dining location and not necessarily go for a bar, or a protein drink or a coffee,” Rebecca McKnight, associate director of marketing for Vol Dining, said.
The adjustment follows a series of updates and renovations made to the university’s dining options and systems within the past year, including revamps to the Student Union restaurants and the introduction of more food options in residence halls.
“Going into this school year, there are a couple changes that happened,” McKnight said. “We’ve opened a lot of new concepts, which has obviously expanded our footprint.”
While students were excited about these upgrades, some were less enthusiastic when learning that their once unrestrained access to cash equivalency in the markets had been scaled back.
“Honestly, I think they were trying to profit off the students more,” Kendall Beard, a second-year agricultural leadership education and communications major said. “By reducing their way of how they can use their meal swipes, they’re forcing students to buy more dining dollars and VolCard money.”
Vol Dining leadership also received these complaints from students.
“We had students contact us directly,” McKnight said. “But we also monitor what people are saying, so whether that be on social media, or Reddit, we try to be ears-to-the-ground so we can make sure we’re providing a good service to the students.”
Because of the volume of feedback received from students directly and through social media, Vol Dining decided to partially reverse the decision, opening the options available for meal swipes to all food items but still removing meal swipes as a payment option for non-food goods.
“We value the input and feedback from students, faculty and staff,” McKnight said. “Our team was working really hard to make sure that this is a program that students enjoy and appreciate, and we want to be good partners.”
POD Markets offer quick accessibility to snacks, drinks, supplies and meals to students on campus.
Although Vol Dining leadership curtailed the decision, McKnight supported the logic behind the change and said that the cost of a UT meal plan is justified by what students can get out of it. The decision to change the POD market policy, she said, came partly from a place of ensuring students are using their meal swipes to the fullest extent by purchasing a full meal, not just a snack or drink.
“The intent was to provide a ‘meal’ with a meal swipe,” McKnight said.
The Student Government Association attempted to work toward this same goal last year by passing legislation raising cash equivalency values from $5.50 to $8 because few campus restaurants offer a full meal at a $5.50 value, especially in the wake of increasing meal costs. Vol Dining has since rejected the legislation, keeping cash equivalency at its current value.
“Prices have also been going up on the on-campus restaurants,” Bonney said. “They got rid of the Subway that was in Brown, and it got replaced with something more expensive, and then that got replaced with something even more expensive.”
Additionally, some students would rather put their meal swipe toward a non-food item for the purpose of convenience. While the markets stock a host of everyday needs — batteries, school supplies, medicine and even birth control — none of these goods can be purchased using a meal swipe.
“I bought cough medicine one time when I needed it, and like Advil. I don’t think that covers it anymore,” Bonney said. “So that’s really frustrating, and I don’t think they’re keeping the interests of students in mind.”
McKnight said that Vol Dining does not plan on revisiting the change in the future, meaning students may go back to using cash equivalency in POD Markets across campus with nearly as much freedom as in the past.
