Policies

We have various policies regarding our dining facilities and our participating retail locations. Select the relevant set of policies you wish to view from the options below:

Dining Hall Retail Table Permits 
 

Identification and Entry

Students are required to present a valid RUconnection ID card when they enter a dining hall. The ID card and your selected meal plan are for your personal use only and are not transferable to anyone else.  ID cards will be confiscated if presented by anyone other than the student it was originally issued to. A replacement fee of $20 will be charged for the reactivation and return of confiscated ID cards. Misuse of the ID card will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students. Penalties for second offense can range from loss of meal privileges to cancellation of meal plan without refund, in addition to discipline through the Office of the Dean of Students.

Students may only enter the dining hall through the main entrance at the courtesy desk. Students entering through any other door, without presenting a valid ID card, will be subject to discipline by the Office of the Dean of Students.

Courtesy

Students are expected to be courteous to fellow students and dining personnel. Breaking in line is forbidden. All students and guests are required to enter at the end of the line and proceed in turn.

Self-Bussing

All students and guests are required to clear their table and deposit trays in the proper location before leaving the dining hall. This is a stipulation of your meal plan contract.

Removal of Food or Property

No food may be taken out of the dining hall, except for items from “Grab and Go” take-out facilities, prearranged boxed meals and certain snack items when they are part of a special dinner. Plates, glasses, silverware, trays etc., are the property of Dining Services and may not be borrowed or removed from the dining halls. Anyone violating this policy will be subject to discipline by the Office of the Dean of Students. Any incident involving theft from Dining Services, a criminal activity, will also be reported to the Police.

Takeout

As an alternative to the “All you care to eat” option in the dining halls, each dining hall offers grab and go service.  The hours of service and menu selections vary at each dining hall. Portions are limited in the take-out areas. If you have a hearty appetite, you are permitted to slash up to two of your meals at one time, to receive an additional take-out portion. Meals are still not transferable, but if you have a guest present with you, you may also use one of your guest meals for that person.

Meal Donations

Many requests come in from students wishing to donate meals to charitable organizations, the homeless, soup kitchens, or organizations sponsoring events. Meals and Meal Plans are not transferable however there are 3 different procedures whereby Dining Services will assist with providing food or funds for a social event or a specific cause. The purpose of both the Meal Exchange Program and Meal Swipe for Catered Event Credit is to provide food or meal credit for those students who will actually attend the scheduled event. 
Meal Swipe for Charity is the only permitted “donation” program.

• Meal Swipe for Charity
• Meal Swipe for Catered Event Credit
• Meal Exchange for Social Event

The Meal Swipe for Charity Program is an opportunity for students to donate meal swipes to benefit a charitable organization. 

• This program is specifically for “outside,” legitimate, charitable organizations and is not intended to support any University or student group. 
• The charitable organization is selected by RUSA (the Rutgers University Student Assembly) from proposals received from student groups. 
• Only one charitable organization per academic year is selected by RUSA 
• Only unused “guest meal swipes” may be donated. 
• The “food cost” value (currently $3) is accumulated by collecting guest meal swipes. Dining Services issues a check to the selected charity. 
• If your proposal is selected by RUSA, you may request tables at the dining halls by requesting a tabling permit 
• To submit a proposal, please contact RUSA

If you are interested in having a full catered event, you should contact our catering department. They have a variety of menus you can choose from. Once you arrange your event, students who have meal plans, and will be attending, can sign away one of their guest meals to offset the full catered price of the event.  If you wish to use this option, it must be done in advance when your catered event is planned. Each student who wishes to sign away a guest meal must do so in person in advance at the selected dining hall.

Meal Exchanges are the simplest, most cost effective way for an organization to have food at a social event. The courtesy desk can assist you with these basic meal exchanges. An organizer goes to the dining hall closest to where the event will take place, and sets up a meal exchange contract with the cashier or manager of that dining hall. The most popular menus are barbecues (We provide burgers, hot dog, veggie burgers and accompaniments. You cook the food yourself on your own grill. Hoagie Parties, Bagel Brunch, Taco Party and other menus are available.

The dining hall will allow you a sign up period, where each student who will attend comes into the dining hall and signs away one guest meal. The sign up period ends 5 business days before the event. On the date of the event, you go to the dining hall and pick up bulk food for each person who signed away a valid guest meal. There is a minimum of 25 people for meal exchanges.

Safety

• Any action which might jeopardize the safety of yourself or others is prohibited.
• No one barefooted will be admitted to any dining hall.
• Roller Blades and/or skates may not be worn inside any of the dining halls.
• Skateboards/Longboards may not be brought into the dining halls.

Alcohol and Drugs

Alcoholic Beverages and drugs are never permitted in the dining halls. Anyone possessing, or under the influence of these substances will be required to leave the premises.

Soliciting

Soliciting and canvassing are prohibited in the dining halls without written permission from the Executive Director of Dining Services.

Soliciting of Meal Swipes

The solicitation of meal swipes is strictly prohibited. Any individual observed soliciting meal swipes from Rutgers students will not be permitted to enter the dining facilities and the Dean of Students Office will be notified. If necessary the Rutgers Police will be contacted.

Policy Changes for the Spring 2022 Semester Only

Note: The information below is applies to the Spring 2022 semester only.

The deadline to reduce or cancel your meal plan has been extended to Tuesday, February 15th, 2022.

First year students who are normally required to have at least a 210 meal plan, will be allowed to select as low as the 150 meal plan for this Spring 2022 semester only. If you choose this option, it must be made by the deadline listed above. Click here to request a meal plan change.
Upper-class students assigned to residence halls will continue to be required to have the 120 meal plan during the Spring 2022 semester, however such students that meet ALL the criteria listed below will be automatically credited $190 at the end of the semester:

1) No meal swipes are used from Sunday, January 16th through Friday, January 28, 2022
2) Ten (10) or more meal swipes remaining on Thursday, May 12, 2022
3) Assigned a 120 meal plan at the end of the Spring 2022 semester

If the meal plan holder meets all the criteria listed above, the student’s 120 meal plan charge of $2,147 will be adjusted to $1,957 by Friday May 20, 2022.

All other students who do not have a minimum meal plan requirement, such as those living in on campus apartments and living off campus , may choose to have any of the seven (7) meal plans offered or to not have one at all.