Dining Services surveys examined

A survey cited by the Department of Dining Services as its main source for student input on the preliminary new meal plan proposals, which were presented earlier in the month, had an unreliable response rate and resulted in recommendations even UConn saw as going too far, according to a consulting firm report and interviews.

Dining Services cited the April 2003 study as giving a "favorable response" to creating a "constant pass meal plan," according their web site. But it also discarded other recommendations, including price increases and eventually dropped many other suggestions after student protest.

The study was conducted by Porter Consulting, a Maryland-based firm specializing in the food service industry. Its previous clients include Cornell University, Princeton University and the University of Richmond, according to its web site.

The consulting firm charged $10,000 for its services, according to Gerry Weller, the director of Dining Services.

Among its various goals, the study was supposed to "determine how to maximize price value of meal plans so customers choose on-campus food service options as opposed to off-campus offerings," according to the firm's report.

The study was also supposed to identify the best hours of operation, what products and services students would want and how students like their current plans compared to alternatives.

The firm conducted eight focus groups and one personal interview. But the majority of the results came from a survey e-mailed to students on April 8, 2003. Students had six days to answer various questions, with an MP3 player offered as a prize.

The survey solicited 1,019 responses, about one-ninth the number of people currently with meal plans.

Elliott Nathan, a 2nd-semester exploratory major who set up an online petition against the meal plan changes, said the survey lacked validity because it was done over e-mail.

"It's really a horrible way to do research because it's not scientifically accurate," Nathan said.

Web surveys can be scientific, said David Weakliem, the interim director of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. However, assuming the firm polled all of the approximately 9,000 students with meal plans, Weakliem said the survey would not have had a reliable response rate.

A survey with 40 to 50 percent response rate would be "OK, not great," Weakliem said, while reliable surveys should have response rates of about 60 to 70 percent.

"The big problem is that they only got 1,000 responses," Weakliem said. "If you have only about 10 percent responding, it's only the tip of the iceberg."

To date, 5,477 individuals have signed Nathan's petition - over five times the number of survey respondents.

Although offering an MP3 player could slightly increase the response rate, Weakliem said Porter Consulting should have repeatedly e-mailed the survey over those six days, demanding student attention until it had a reliable rate. And although focus groups can provide insight into why individuals answer the way they do, they are "not a substitute for a good survey."

Porter Consulting declined comment through a spokesman after multiple phone calls and an e-mail.

The 63-page report recommends providing three meal plans with unlimited access to dining halls. The Silver Plan would provide four guest passes for $3,220 per year, while the Gold Plan would provide six guest passes and $250 per semester to be spent at grab-n-gos for $3,720 per year.

The report also recommends a Platinum Plan with eight guest passes and 500 dining dollars per semester for $4,220 per year.

Dining Services took a different approach to these plans, offering only the gold and silver options. The department upped the number of guest passes for both to 10 and changed the prices, with the Silver Plan costing $3,250 per year and the Gold Plan costing $3,600 per year.

Weller stressed that the department evaluated the firm's work and findings and "chose not to introduce their whole thing."

"These guys aren't dumb," Weller said. However, the department didn't want to "absolutely dive in" and instead chose to "ease into it," he said.

Despite ultimately disregarding several of the consulting firm's findings, Dining Services frequently cited the survey as a way they had involved students in the process. According to a set of frequently asked questions about the new meal plan, the survey provided what Dining Services saw as a "favorable response" to creating a "constant pass meal plan."

"Dining Services believes this model increases the value of the meal plans for students," according to the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Dining Services web site, now offline.

Of those surveyed, about 48.4 percent had a meal plan providing 250 meals plus 80 points. Almost two-thirds said they had more than 25 meals left at the end of each semester, and almost one-fourth had more than 75 meals left.

A majority of respondents said they liked the meal plans because they did not have to cook, did not have to carry money and could get food anywhere on campus. About 41.9 percent of respondents said they did not like that they could not use them wherever they wanted and half said they did not like that they could not use all of their semester meals.

But had students been asked whether they specifically wanted the new meal plans, Nathan said, they would likely have said no. Bad questions posed to students just asking what they liked and disliked about certain aspects of the plans probably resulted in the poor findings, he said.

"If you word it in a biased way, you'll get biased results," Nathan said.

Kate Robinson, a 4th-semester geography major who built a website protesting the changes, said she thought the consultant's report should be taken "with a grain of salt."

"I think the consulting firm is paid to give us a worst-case scenario," Robinson said, adding there was "no way they could get away with this."

Of course, this is all hypothetical now. Dining Services introduced their revised meal plans last week, promising three different options with large amounts of points and flex passes. A new third option, the "Ultimate Plan" has unlimited dining hall access, 35 flex passes and 500 points for $1,800 per semester.

The Ultimate Plan costs $620 less per year than the firm's suggested platinum plan. It has the same price as the gold plan that Dining Services unveiled originally while providing twice the number of points and more than three times the number of guest or flex passes.

"I like the new version better than what we have right now," Robinson said, adding that the lack of a third option with lots of value may have contributed to student anger.

Although Dining Services may use a web survey in the future, Weller said the department will likely also "blitz e-mail" students with details about changes as news develops. The department needs to communicate with students more about its plans, he said.

"We're going to have to go through this again sometime," he said, and they would do "much better in the communications area."