Sophia Tran

Student browses some of the new selections at the Ullman To Go market.

Meal swipe values for Cal Lutheran students have increased from $6.25 to $7.50, following a collaboration between Sodexo, Student Life and the Associated Students of California Lutheran University Government Senate.

The change was announced Aug. 22 in an email from Ryan Van Ommeren, associate vice president of Planning and Services. According to the email, the effort to change the meal plan equivalency was led by senior ASCLUG senator Laylanie Valenzuela for her Senate project.

Valenzuela said she initially proposed the price increase motion during her sophomore year, after wanting to make a positive change on campus during her time as a senator. 

“I just kept believing, like, this is a change that will help our students tremendously,” Valenzuela said.

During her time at Cal Lutheran, Valenzuela said she heard complaints from students regarding the value of the meal swipe, so she said she set out to see if she could increase its value.

Valenzuela said an email survey was sent out to students in which they could vote for a new swipe value. The survey offered price ranges from $6.50, $7 or $7.50, with a space to suggest a different price. 252 students responded to the survey, with over 51% of respondents picking $7.50.

In light of these results, Elizabeth Nepute, general manager of Sodexo, worked with Valenzuela and the ASCLUG Senate to make the increase possible for students beginning the fall 2025 semester. 

Nepute said the new value of the meal swipe should not raise meal plan costs “too much,” as meal plans typically have price increases every year. Following the value increase, campus dining locations also began offering more food for a single meal swipe. 

During the spring 2025 semester, The Habit’s block meals came with either fries or a drink for a meal swipe. Now, students can receive both. Nepute said she hopes the meal swipes value increase will allow students to feel like they are getting more out of their meal plans. 

The Aug. 22 email also announced completed renovations for Ullman To Go, which has been branded as “Ullman Market,” a revamped “miniature convenience store option” with a larger food selection.

Nepute said the updates to Ullman To Go were sparked by student feedback placed in a suggestion box in the store. New renovations to the space include replacing indoor seating with freezers and food racks, which better utilizes the space, Nepute said. 

“It’s been very well received. Week one, we almost tied our best week from last year,” said Jeff Kohagen, supervisor at Ullman Market. 

The larger food selection includes pre-packaged meals that can be bought with meal swipes, as well as fresh produce, dairy items and frozen goods. Kohagen said the items within the store can rotate throughout the year depending on students’ purchases.

“If they don’t buy it, then we’re not going to keep it out,” Kohagen said.

There is also a selection of items within the store that can be bought for less than the new $7.50 value of a meal swipe, like protein bars and chips. Nepute said item prices are determined through competitive pricing based on local grocery stores.

“Our prices are not much [higher], they’re either the same or just maybe a little bit above a  grocery store, just because we have to have a little bit of a different margin to cover our costs here. But, we really are sensitive to competitive pricing in our area,” Nepute said. 

Ullman Market will extend its store hours this year, now closing at 3 p.m. instead of 2 p.m., a change that can accommodate those whose personal schedules had caused them to miss the store’s operating hours, Nepute said.

“We’re just trying to give some more flexibility and options to those who have a little bit tighter schedule and are still able to use the meal plans,” Nepute said.