Policies

General

Meal Plan is Mandatory: Participation in the meal plan is an integral part of life and community participation at Green College. Participation in and payment of the meal plan is mandatory, and is stipulated in the residence contract. There is no opt-out from the plan.

Dietary Restrictions: Please note that the kitchen prepares only a meat and vegetarian option for each dinner service, and cannot guarantee it can accommodate special diets (vegan, paleo, etc.) or all dietary restrictions. Please complete the Dietary Accommodation Form and enquire with the kitchen in advance to see if your dietary restrictions can be met.

Flexible Dining Options

Dining Outside of the Great Hall: Some residents choose to eat breakfast while reading in the Reading Room or William C. Gibson Room on the first floor of Graham House. Residents who use the downstairs for breakfast are responsible for cleaning all table surfaces they use (cleaning materials are available in the Dining Hall) and they are responsible for returning all dishes, cutlery, glasses, and trays to the Dining Hall. Furthermore, the William C. Gibson Room is often used during the day by outside groups and must be kept tidy and clean.

Bagged Breakfasts: TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED (Bagged breakfasts are the default). If you are unable to attend breakfast early in the morning, a bagged breakfast is an option. Bagged breakfasts are available for whole weeks only (i.e., five breakfasts, from Monday through Friday), or on the same day of the week provided it is missed on a regular and consistent basis (i.e., at least 3 consecutive weeks, for instance 3 consecutive Tuesdays). Your breakfast will be available for pick up at dinner the night before and includes a baked good, a piece of fruit, and juice. The bagged breakfast counts as your only breakfast for the day for which it was provided; if for some reason you've arranged for a bagged breakfast but are able to attend breakfast, please do not take additional food other than that which was provided in the bagged breakfast. You can apply for bagged breakfasts from the buttons on the main GCDS webpage.

Boxed Dinners: Dining together is a central focus of Green College. All resident members are expected to participate in the dinner in the Dining Hall Sunday through Thursday. However, if you are unable to attend a dinner, you may request that the kitchen set aside your meal by using the sign-up sheet online. Boxed dinners require the purchase of a refundable meal box, payable to the kitchen staff during serving hours. (Filled) meal boxes must be signed out by you or a delegate, and should be signed in by returning the box directly to the kitchen staff. Boxes should be rinsed clean before returning them. For the full details of the meal box policy, see our guide here.

Membership Fee Reduction (MFR):  If you plan to be away from the College for more than seven consecutive days within a single month, you may apply for a Membership Fee Reduction. The Membership Fee Reduction program gives you a partial credit against future meal plan fees. The program requires at least 7 days advance notice of the leave. For September 2021 - August 2022, there is a monthly cap of total fee reductions such that if the number of applications exceeds the cap, the personal reductions will be pro-rated evenly across all applications in the month.

Meal Vouchers: Once a month, per Resident Member, you may substitute one boxed dinner request for a voucher. You can request this on the online sign-up sheet. Vouchers can be used anytime, but require that you make reservations with the kitchen the day before you intend to use it.

Meal Transfers: Residents who are not on Membership Fee Reduction may elect to "transfer" their meals for a prescribed period of time to another resident. The form and rules are here.

Alcohol

Alcohol Consumption: The Dining Society holds a liquor licence, which permits serving alcohol with food in all of the public areas of Green College (i.e., all of Graham House, the Coach House and the patio areas outside Graham House and the area between the Coach House and Green Commons). This licence permits the Dining Society to serve alcohol at functions, provided that food is also being served. A variety of wines, beers and ciders are available for purchase at the dining hall during dinners. Under the terms of the liquor licence, the Dining Society must be solely responsible for the purchase and sale of alcohol in licensed areas. Therefore, the following points must be observed:

• It is unlawful to bring alcohol into the licensed areas for consumption;
• It is unlawful to take alcohol purchased from the Dining Society outside the licensed areas (see below*); and
• Alcohol served in a licensed area (even for events organized by residents) must be purchased by the Dining Society and sold to participants by the Dining Society.

*The following areas are not covered by the license: Green Commons, Coach House, Common Kitchen and residence rooms. You may consume your own alcohol in these areas. NOTE: Contravention of the liquor license can result in significant fines (up to $10,000) and/or loss of the liquor license.

Other

Fee Reductions for Late Check-Ins: New Resident Members will automatically receive discounts in 10% increments on their first monthly meal plan installment per week they arrive after the start date of their Residence Contract. Member monthly meal plan prices will be reduced based on the Membership Fee Reduction standard of 10% per week (7 days) of delay. For clarity, this does not apply when there is no valid Residence Contract such as an early check-in or late check-out. This partial reduction is in recognition that all members have an obligation to the Dining Society, to support it for the benefit of all members in the community regardless of whether they are participating in meals.

Late Fees: The Green College Dining Society (GCDS) will enforce the following policy in regards to payment of Dining Society fees by all GCDS members:

• A $25 late fee may apply to any fee payments received after the first business day of the month. Late fees increase based on the number of times you have been late. On the third time late, the fee increases to $50. On the fourth and subsequent late instances the fee is $75.
• This fee applied to the member's GCDS fees and is in addition the late fee that may be charged for late rent.
• Extensions may be granted on compassionate grounds or based on unforeseen circumstances at the discretion of the GCDS President or Green College Assistant Principal.
• A member in arrears for more than two months may be evicted from Green College.

NSF Payments: The Green College Dining Society (GCDS) will charge $30 for any NSF (non-sufficient funds) payment made to the GCDS.

Termination Fees: If you cancel your Residence Contract with Student Housing and Community Services (SHCS) (that is, do not stay to the end of the contract) and you are assessed termination fees, you will be assessed a termination fee by the GCDS. The termination fee is modeled after the Residence Contract termination fees. You would owe the lesser of 25% of the total meal plan fees for the contract period at the full-month Membership Fee Reduction (MFR) rate, or the remaining fees you would owe to the end of the contract period. If you terminate your Residence Contract and SHCS waives and/or reduces termination fees, the GCDS will similarly waive and/or reduce any GCDS-levied termination fees.

For example:

If the meal plan is $500/mo, the full-month MFR rate is 50% of that ($250).
The total meal plan fees at the full-month MFR rate for the contract period would be $250 x 12mo = $3000
The maximum owing is 25% of $3000 ($750) or the remainder of meal plan fees owing to the end of the contract.
The remainder of meal plan fees owing can also be reduced through the use of MFR to a maximum of 50% of the monthly fee.

So:

• If your contract was set to terminate at the end of June, you would owe $500 (two months @ $1000, reduced to the full-month MFR rate @ $500 - July, August).
• If your contract was set to terminate at the end of April, you would owe $750 (maximum < four months - May, June, July, August)

*MFR rates are determined annually, based on a formula of reducing the full monthly meal plan by a fixed percent per week of absence. Rates are posted in the fees section.