Students and staff gathered with homemade posters and comments to present at Eastern Michigan University’s Board of Regents meeting Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. Tensions were still high two months after multiple changes and closures to EMU’s dining services were announced.
As part of the changes, two campus markets were closed and converted to self-service vending areas. The new markets no longer accept student meal plans or Flex Dollars.
University Communications announced in an email the opening of the two locations starting Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. The email also announced the opening of a Little Caesars in the Student Center on the same day.
"We’re pleased to share several enhancements to campus dining options designed to better serve students and employees," Vice President of Communications Walter Kraft said in the email sent Oct. 20, 2025.
EMU junior Jason Folk spoke during public comment at the Regents meeting.
“These changes do not benefit students,” Folk said.
After the initial announcement of the changes in an Aug. 18, 2025, email, Folk started a petition called “Restore Accessible Dining Options at EMU,” which has gathered 1,651 signatures as of Oct. 26, 2025.
“After receiving 1,400 signatures, I wrote an email to E|Dining and EMU administrators explaining the problems and effects these changes have on students, including increased food insecurity,” Folk said. “But I did not receive a response.”
Folk voiced his concern that the new market locations do not accept meal swipes or Flex Dollars.
“If we need to get food to fuel our bodies, we need to pay out-of-pocket in addition to the thousands we pay every single semester,” Folk said.
Maya Garcia, a sophomore at EMU, also expressed frustration with the changes to services and the timing of the original announcement.
“These changes came as a shocking disappointment,” Garcia said. “Meal plans were selected and purchased based on information provided by the university about dining options that would be available.”
Garcia said decision-makers at the university should seek feedback from students who will be affected by potential changes.
"Changes like the ones made to dining services this year are not decisions that can be made quickly or lightly," Garcia said. "A university responsible for providing adequate resources for a whole community should be considering how changes to dining services affect all the different members of the community."
