The University System Board of Regents voted to slash the cost of meal plans for commuter students attending Kennesaw State University on Wednesday.
The Regents had already eliminated the mandatory meal plan fees for seniors commuting to the school.
On Wednesday they cut the cost for freshmen commuter students from $475 a semester to $324 per semester, and from $160 a semester to $84 a semester for sophomores and juniors. The new rates will take effect in the spring 2017 semester.
KSU plans to eliminate the mandatory meal plans for all commuter students by the fall of 2017.
The decision was, in part, a response to an audit released in June that found several employee violations, as well as managerial and financial problems with the school's food services division. The audit led to the resignation of a high-ranking division director. Four other KSU administrators were also fired.
The June audit found that six of the seven dining outlets at KSU operated at a loss in fiscal 2015, that its dining contract was too expensive and favorable to the contractor, and that the department had weak controls for expenses.
KSU requires all students to purchase a meal plan based on their credit hours, regardless of whether they live on campus.
The mandatory meal plan had been a sticking point for some students, including one who filed a lawsuit in May against the state's Board of Regents, which governs KSU and Georgia's other public colleges.
About the Author
