Dear Mizzou,

We need our money back.

That money we paid you to eat with but we didn't use it all? Yes, I'm talking about that money.

For those who don't know, Mizzou has a unique system when it comes to paying for the food part of their college experience. Of the many things you choose to do as a freshman at Mizzou, one of them is to pick a dining plan. They come in three sizes per semester: 150, 200, and 275 meals, respectively. You pay for all of them upfront (I might add, the prices are ridiculous). Then, whatever you don't use at the end of the semester is not rolled over. Instead, you have the options to either donate to Tiger Pantry or eat yourself into a food coma.

That sound's crazy, right? Mizzou has built up this concept that you just have to deal with throwing all that money down the drain. Don't get me wrong, Tiger Pantry is a very good cause and I'm glad it exists. I am also a sophomore in college who is struggling enough financially without paying my institution outrageous amounts of money to eat. If you haven't caught my drift yet, let me enlighten the situation with a (real) scenario.

This past academic year, I had over 100 meals left total. That comes out to about 733 dollars. SEVEN HUNDRED THIRTY THREE DOLLARS. For some, that amount of money is chump change. For a lot of people, that is a student loan paid a few months ahead, or a car fixed, or a trip back home when they didn't think they'd be able to see their family during the summer.

Have I made my point?

Hey, Mizzou, give us our money back, or change the system.

Sincerely,

A broke college student