HOUSING AND DINING FINANCIAL SERVICES

P.O. Box 641722

Streit-Perham Admin Suite
Pullman, WA 99164-1722

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HOUSING RESERVATIONS
P.O. Box 641726
Streit-Perham Admin Suite
Pullman, WA 99164-1726

Feb 21, 2016

Manager in Northside
Manager in Southside
Manager in Hillside
Housing and Dining service
resident
Proposal for the RDA dollar

Purpose
The purpose of my proposal is the remaining RDA dollar in the Cougar Card can be refunded or
converted into Cougar cash which can be used on the whole campus. Besides, not just limited to
three dining plan. Instead, giving residents more opportunity or more freedom on the dining plan.

Summary
As freshmen first come to WSU, they are forced to live in the residence hall as they are under 20.
Also, the running start students are also counted as freshmen. Almost about 90% of new
freshmen live on campus. During this period, they are required to buy the dining plan.
All RDA Plans have a base cost of $944 and a balance of RDA Dollars. This base cost can cover
utilities, maintenance, repairs, mortgage payments, and a portion of the labor needed to support
the food service program, which sounds good but we cant estimate the dining amount that we
are going to spend in a whole academic year. RDA plans are just like a prepaid credit card with a
limited scope of using, but it will expire after residents move outside the campus.

For most people, they cant just consume all the RDA dollar. For the residents who buy the
dining plan which price level is higher than their original cost, they probably waste a tremendous
amount of money. The worse is even the dining level one for some residents are beyond their
budget or tolerance range.
Although there are about eighty percents students in WSU are in the state, there are still about
seven percents students from more than nighty-two countries. The recent academic year, there
are about 20,043 students in WSU so that we can calculate out there are more than a thousand
and four hundred international students. They probably not get used to eating American food.
Since they dont get used to American food, they will often eat outside campus, which leads
them cant consume the RDA dollars.
As the people who cant consume the RDA dollars all choose to buy some easy to save and
essential item from grocery market on WSU campus, what can others do? Other people who
need to buy some necessary items are innocent victims. As residents all choose their way to solve
this problem, what can the administration do?

Introduction
Required to buy dining plan with a stable amount is a hard problem to international students.
They come from all over the world with different food culture, and they like different kinds of
food. The dining hall maybe isn't fit their favor. Although eating in the dining hall and RDA can
provide more convenience while they leave in the dorm. However, it will take more
inconvenience to them. Not only does it inconvenient for international students, but it was also
inconvenient for native students.
The RDA can just be used in the dining hall, some restaurant in CUB not accept RDA, which
limited the scope of use by the acceptation. As residents have tight lunch time, they wont be able
to eat in the dining hall. They may eat in CUB or other building with Cougar Cash, which
reduces the chance for residents to consume the RDA. If they keep starvation and eat after they
back to the dorm, they will pass the lunch time. The American Fast food, Greasy burger, cold
salad and immutable sub, cannot meet their taste and greedy hunger. Therefore, they will choose
to eat the food that they like to eat out the campus. At this case, its hard for international
students to consume their RDA dollar, even though the dining level one. I cant shake belief
American can tolerate on only eating the same thing every day, after the heavy and busy courses.
Required to buy dining plan with a stable amount is also hard to international students. Who can
assume the exact amount that they are going to eat in the dinning hall in a whole semester? Even
the most modest people cant control the times that they will eat outside in an entire semester;

even the most rigorous people cant guarantee they will eat the constant price of dinner in an
entire semester. Therefore, even the most competent accountants in the world cant calculate out
the exact and specific amount of the RDA dollars that they are going to use. Even with a
relatively accurate figure, there is no guarantee that it will fit a particular dining plan level.
Therefore, they have to waste some part of the money at the end of an academic year.
The rest RDA dollars in their account can only be wasted. Besides, the original price of food in
the dining hall is much higher than outside campus. Even if the price after discount in global
scholar market is higher than the price in the supermarket which outside the campus. According
to this, the residents have to use RDA in dining hall except the emergence, unless they want to
wast more money. A senior had told me that I can buy boxes of water in the grocery market on
campus at the end of the semester if I want to move outside the campus in next semester. This is
a good way so that I wont waste too much money because the discount in grocery market isnt
that big and we can use the credit card or cash to purchase the extra money. This is the way that
residents are solving the problem. It can also be applied in other essentials which easy to save
and be able to buy in the grocery market on campus. In the competition for residents consume
RDA dollars, those people who are really in need will not be able to buy what they want.

- To guide people back from the ashtray, a possible solution is necessary for solving this
significant problem. Therefore, I develop a plan to perform five task.

- Determine the percentage of residents arent satisfied on dining plan level. (Among native
-

students)
Determine the percentage of residents are satisfied with dining plan level. (Among
international students)
If someone arent satisfied with dining plan level, what amount they think is good.
The way that they ensure they wont waste too much at the end of the semester.
If they cant consume the RDA dollar, what kind of choice they will do for saving their
money.

Proposed Program

Task 1: Determine the percentage of residents arent satisfied on dining plan level. (Among
native students)
Since native students are in their country, they will more get used to American food. Their
dissatisfaction is representative. I will choose the residents in the whole residence level that I
currently am living in as a sample. They are all girls, and they will be pickier than other guys. I
think they can present other guys since they are picky. The things that they feel good, the guys
can be tolerated theoretically.
Task 2: Determine the percentage of residents are satisfied with dining plan level. (Among

international students)
Now Im current in CSSA, which is a Chinese Student Scholar Association. I can take my friends
as a sample. Asians tastes are similar, they can present the Asian people, and Asian has a large
proportion of students places. And I will also add some people from another country as more
sample to ensure scientific sampling.
Task 3: If someone arent satisfied on dining plan level, what amount they think is good.
I will get more information from the residents who have any on the dining plan so that I can
calculate out the mean value. Compared the real statistic value to my opinion to make sure Im
thinking in a right way.
Task 4: The way that they ensure their wont overflow at the end of the semester.
Let them get me more idea on how they are solving the problem, so that I wont limited my
thought. Give more useful suggestion on pre-solving the problem.
Task 5: If they cant consume the RDA dollar, what kind of choice they will do for saving their
money.
At the same time as I am collecting more idea from others to broaden my thought, I can also
make sure are all the people solving the problem with a good way which wont cause
inconvenience to others.

The Conceptual Frame

I will collect the actual data first. After actual data collection and ensure that my idea is correct,
summed up several relatively good problem-solving approach, which based on all the idea that
Ive collected.

Support for the Conceptual Frame

To ensure my data collection are scientific, I should make sure I've been in an objective and fair
attitude. To ensure my analysis is reasonable, I need to make sure I've been in a rigorous
scientific approach to process data.

Schedule

Sechedule

Mon

Tues

Wed Thur Fri

Task 1: Determine the percentage of residents arent satisfied on

dining plan level. (Among native students)
Task 2: Determine the percentage of residents are satisfied on
dining plan level. (Among international students)
Task 3: If someone arent satisfied on dining plan level, what
amount they think is good.
Task 4: The way that they ensure their wont overflow at the end
of semester.
Task 5: If they cant consume the RDA dollar, what kind of
choice they will do for saving their money.

Experience
Although Im not really good at making research, Im the person who suffer this problem. I want
to solve this problem not only for myself but also for my friends. Thanks for the chance.

Reference
"Meal Plan For The ENTIRE Year & Get Food Storage DONE at the Same Time!" Prepared
Housewives. 2014. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
< http://prepared-housewives.com/extreme-menu-planning/>
"Quick Facts |." Washington State University. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
<https://wsu.edu/about/facts/>.
"Walmart." Walmart Online Shopping Website. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.walmart.com/>.
"Washington State UniversityRogers Hall." WSU Dining Services. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
<http://dining.wsu.edu/rda/>.
"Washington State UniversityStreit-Perham Hall, 2nd Floor." Housing & Residence Life. Web.
21 Feb. 2016.
<http://housing.wsu.edu/reshall/freshmenfocus.aspx>.