Campus Dining FAQ

What meal plans are available? Updated 07/21/2020

First-year students and students living in campus traditional residence halls are required to be on the 2020-2021 meal plan and will be automatically enrolled.

The required meal plan will include:

• 20 meals per week which reset each Friday
• $120 Bomber Bucks which expire at the end of each semester
• 3 guest meal passes
• The ability to utilize a meal swipe equivalency at select campus retail locations each meal period, including late night in the Towers Marketplace.

The 2020-2021 meal plans have been changed from the previous unlimited plans for 2020-2021 in order to help manage the density in the dining halls and to support physical distancing efforts. 

Students moving to an on-campus apartment (Gardens and Circles Apartments) or living off-campus have the option to select either the 20-21 Meal Plan or the Commuter Plan, which includes 5 Meals per week and $300 Bomber Bucks. 

The Bomber Bucks allocation for the Fall Semester reflects a prorated amount from October 5 to November 24, 2020. 

How will physical distancing be enforced in the dining areas?

Seating in the Campus Center Dining Hall, the Terrace Dining Hall, Towers Marketplace and IC Square will be reduced to comply with social distancing requirements. Seating will be removed or blocked off to ensure proper physical distancing. 

Lines to enter the two campus dining halls will be managed with single points of entrance and exit, along with rope-and-stanchions to help manage physical distancing. 

Signs and floor decals will be added in the main campus dining venues to remind students, faculty, staff and guests to keep an appropriate distance apart. 

How will dining hall entrances and exits and seating be changing to accommodate new physical distancing on campus?

Limited seating will be available in the Campus Center Dining Hall, Terrace Dining Hall, Towers Marketplace and IC Square. Ithaca College encourages students, faculty and staff to allow those with mobility restrictions to utilize these reduced seats. 

Limited seating for dining patrons will be available from 11 am to 2 pm Monday through Friday in Emerson Suite B and C. 

Two tents with side walls will be added to the Campus Center Quad and will have limited seating. 

Campus community members are encouraged to utilize the bleachers in the Glazer Arena and extra tables and chairs that will be set up in the Athletics & Events Center as places to eat. 

Utilizing appropriate physical distancing, members of the campus community are also encouraged to utilize outdoor seating, their campus residence halls or apartments and open and unused classrooms for seating for meals. Community members are asked to take special care to clean up their trash and sanitize areas used for meals. 

Will students, faculty, staff and guests be required to wear a face covering when using dining facilities?

Yes, Face coverings are required in New York State for individuals in public spaces. Admittance to the Campus Center Dining Hall, the Terrace Dining Hall and the Towers Marketplace will be restricted to people wearing a face covering. Those who are seated to eat in the designated dining areas will not be required to wear a face covering. 
 

How will Ithaca College provide safe food service?

All self-serve options and buffets will be eliminated in the dining facilities, all food will be served. All food service will be provided in to-go containers. All Dining Services staff will be screened daily and will be required to wear personal protective equipment when working or in the Dining Facilities.

How will the reusable containers work?

Every student with a meal plan will be provided with 1 reusable clamshell container and 2 carabineers when they first return to campus. Exchange stations will be set up in the Campus Center (location and hours TBD) and Terrace Dining Hall (location and hours TBD) where clam shells can be returned for cleaning and new clam shells can be picked-up. If someone loses their clam shell, replacement ones can be purchased for $5 in three different locations (specifics TBD). 
 

With physical distancing requirements, how will someone be able to use their meal plans during the middle of the day without having to wait in long lines?

Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Monday through Friday, Emerson Suite A will have to-go meal plan options available. There will be two stations set up every day with a variety of hot options.

Between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Monday through Friday, simple meal plan grab-and-go sandwich meals will be available in the Campus Center Café (located in the Campus Center Lobby).

During the lunch periods Monday through Friday there will be a single, limited, to-go meal plan line and option in the Towers Marketplace. This option will change on a regular basis.

Meal plan equivalency options will be provided on campus for the 2020-2021 academic year. Students will be able to use their meal swipes, once per meal period, for a predetermined selection or discount off purchases in select retail locations. Details regarding equivalency plans and offers are still being determined.

Even in non-COVID-19 times, the lunch lines for the dining halls on campus (especially the Campus Center Dining Hall) can be very long. The lines for lunch are determined by the class schedule, and students looking for quick service are encouraged to plan accordingly. The addition of meal plan to-go options in the Emerson Suites, the Campus Center Lobby and the Towers Marketplace are intended to give additional options for service on campus, especially during the lunch hour on weekdays. 
 
To access the retail dining locations (Towers Marketplace; Campus Center Food Court and Ithaca Bakery.  GrubHub mobile ordering will be the only way to order and pay for retail options in that location. 

For Fall opening, 2020 GrubHub mobile ordering will be expanded into the Campus Center Food Court (including Chick-N-Bap) and Ithaca Bakery. GrubHub will be the only way to order and pay for retail options in these locations. 

For campus retail planning ahead and ordering ahead is strongly recommended. 

Will there be changes to hours of operation for the start of 2020?

Yes, with the realities of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the associated necessary changes in how food service needs to operate to be safe, the hours of operation of all units are likely to change. Specifics will be announced to the campus community as decisions are made based on the availability of staffing, what proves to be safe and prudent, and the needs of the campus community. Based on the campus population it is likely that some campus retail units may be closed as the college reopens for the fall semester. 

What is the difference between Bomber Bucks and ID Express?

Bomber Bucks are tax-exempt and can be used in any on-campus location food retail location. Bomber Bucks allotted in the meal plan must be used within each academic semester. Any additionally purchased Bomber Bucks must be used within the current academic year. 

ID Express is a debit account opened through Ithaca College and not associated with Dining Services. 

Will there be food delivery services to students in quarantine?

Dining Services will work with Residential Life and other campus departments to arrange deliveries for students who are quarantined on campus for any length of time. 

How will meal plans work if I have special dietary needs?

Meal plan participants who have special dietary needs should plan on utilizing the various specialty stations in the Campus Center and Terrace Dining Halls, including Station 8 and others. The quick grab-and-go food service locations around campus (including the Emerson Suites and Campus Center lobby) will not have specialty food service options available.