Leaving the dorms to go live off campus for the first time is a feeling I’ll never forget; I finally felt like I was taking the first step toward an adult life. But that adult life comes with adult responsibilities. Although it’s been several months since I moved, my grocery bills still give me anxiety.
However, the University of Oregon’s Ducks Dine On program helps alleviate worries surrounding groceries. The program is a great way to help students with food bills as they learn to live independently.
The DDO program is specifically made for UO students and faculty who live off campus. The program is designed to provide individuals meals at all nine of the university housing dining locations. Meal plans range from $85 for 10 meals to $775 for 100 meals with the “golden mug” — a specialty offer that lets you refill your mug whenever you’d like. All meal plans, and the golden mug, start on Aug. 1 and expire Aug. 31 the following year.
The program also includes the option of adding Duck Bucks with your meal plan. Duck Bucks allows individuals to use their UO ID as a debit card. Numerous locations around campus accept Duck Bucks, including the restaurants in the EMU. The Duck Bucks plans range from $185 for 10 meals and $115 in Duck Bucks to $875 for 100 meals and $115 in Duck Bucks. Either option requires you to use your UO ID card at the register to pay for each meal.
Meals are counted in a couple ways. One meal can equal a trip to the buffet-style Carson Dining Hall, or up to five points anywhere else. Students are encouraged to mix and match what they like in order to get the most out of those points.
DDO program also makes it so you don’t have to wait for your next paycheck to buy more food. According to CollegePulse, “More than 1 in 10 (12%) college students say they sometimes or often go an entire day without eating because they cannot afford it.” You’ve already paid for the meals at the beginning of the academic year, so you don’t have to worry about facing a big food bill every month.
Along with just work and classes, students also have to account for extracurriculars, social life, homework, family problems — situations that make it easy to forget or substitute eating for another activity. A Georgetown report revealed that “the majority of students do work a significant number of hours. A student working 15 to 30 hours per week during the academic year is regarded today as the new normal.”
Eating can quickly morph into something we do when we have time, not something we do because we need to. DDO makes it easy and quick to grab something on the way back from or between classes. With DDO, you can take a night (or several) off from cooking and preparing food. It’s a great way to ease into living independently and helps to stop the stress over meals. Keep calm and dine on.
