Penn Is Forcing Meal Plans on Sophomores So that Dining Workers Are Paid More, Right?

 Penn recently announced that it would force sophomores in the 2021-2022 school year to purchase meal plans. Generally, this decision has angered many sophomores, calling it a “blatant cash grab”. However, before we judge the school for grabbing money from children, we must understand the university’s motives.

We all know that Penn is a seriously cash-strapped institution. The existence of Gregory College House is proof that the university does not have enough money to keep things in repair. If the school can’t even maintain dorm buildings, how do you expect Penn to pay its dining hall workers? Yes, we know that Amy Gutmann’s 2017 salary was $3.6 million, but this high salary is necessary to keep her bound to the human world. If she was paid less, she might take on her ultimate form, a fire-breathing dragon with the face of Ben Franklin. 

So, you may ask, where will Penn get the money to pay the hard-working and essential dining hall workers? The obvious source is from the students. Since Penn is now forcing sophomores to be on the meal plan, the school suddenly has a lot more money that they can use to pay the dining hall workers.