The Daily Campus

Issue date: 3/23/05 Section: News

Media Credit: Julie Friedlander Some believe the survey cited by Dining Services did not get enough of a sample.

A survey cited by the Department of Dining Services as its main source for student input on the preliminary new meal plan proposals, which were presented earlier in the month, had an unreliable response rate and resulted in recommendations even UConn saw as going too far, according to a consulting firm report and interviews.


Dining Services cited the April 2003 study as giving a "favorable response" to creating a "constant pass meal plan," according their web site. But it also discarded other recommendations, including price increases and eventually dropped many other suggestions after student protest.


The study was conducted by Porter Consulting, a Maryland-based firm specializing in the food service industry. Its previous clients include Cornell University, Princeton University and the University of Richmond, according to its web site.


The consulting firm charged $10,000 for its services, according to Gerry Weller, the director of Dining Services.


Among its various goals, the study was supposed to "determine how to maximize price value of meal plans so customers choose on-campus food service options as opposed to off-campus offerings," according to the firm's report.


The study was also supposed to identify the best hours of operation, what products and services students would want and how students like their current plans compared to alternatives.


The firm conducted eight focus groups and one personal interview. But the majority of the results came from a survey e-mailed to students on April 8, 2003. Students had six days to answer various questions, with an MP3 player offered as a prize.


The survey solicited 1,019 responses, about one-ninth the number of people currently with meal plans.


Elliott Nathan, a 2nd-semester exploratory major who set up an online petition against the meal plan changes, said the survey lacked validity because it was done over e-mail.


"It's really a horrible way to do research because it's not scientifically accurate," Nathan said.


Web surveys can be scientific, said David Weakliem, the interim director of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. However, assuming the firm polled all of the approximately 9,000 students with meal plans, Weakliem said the survey would not have had a reliable response rate.

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