Use it or lose it pretty much sums up on-campus meal plans at most universities. If a student doesn’t use all their meal plan dollars, the left-over money usually reverts to the school. That’s true in Auburn University’s case where the money from a sweep of unused dining dollars is being used to improve the dining experience for its students.

According to the school’s student newspaper, the Auburn Plainsman, Auburn students leave an average of just 2.4% of their meal plan dollars for dining services at the end of the year, compared to the national average of 10%. That still amounts to a chunk of change–in this case, about $376,000–that can be used to bolster the school’s dining opportunities.

Students can expect new options like Joann’s home-style cooking, with its expansive salad options, Chick-n-Grill’s three new Greek options; two new food trucks and additional Asian and home-style options.

John Waggoner, interim dining director, said the left-over money will also be applied toward debts related to Tiger Dining. “We use whatever revenue from the (Tiger dollars) sweep to go back to paying for the dining experiences,” Waggoner said.

These changes were made to make the campus more appealing to students, he added. “If dining is offered on campus, it makes the students more likely to sit and eat a sandwich and study rather than leave campus.”

Read more here.

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