BY LILLY BURRUS
Meramec offers student resources including tuition aid, tutoring and support for students who are tight on a budget while navigating college. Being able to get adequate nutrition in the day-to-day is a struggle for some students, so STLCC partnered with American Dining Creations in the hopes of making food easy to access in the cafeteria. STLCC also offers cafeteria memberships, which are available across all campuses, and they aim to provide students with a hot meal everyday when attending classes. Cafe worker Cheryl Boone discussed what a cafeteria member is.
“Members have special access with a pre-paid card that allows them to buy meals with the support of financial aid,” Boone said. This aid is different from the one that covers tuition and the bookstore, so students have to apply separately. There is a set amount each semester, like how dining dollars work at four-year universities, for students to use as needed. Kitchen chef Matt George explained the steps to apply.
“If they are looking to get a card, they would go to student services on the second floor, right above the cafeteria, otherwise known as SARC, and go through the application process to see if they qualify for the program,” George said.
Students can also fill out the SARC intake form that can be found on the STLCC website under the support tab. The budget students receive for this program varies based on their income. “Each semester students must reapply to stay a cafeteria member,” Boone said. Students don’t have a limit to what they can buy in the cafeteria, but this card is limited to just food and won’t work in the bookstore or any restaurants or food stores outside of STLCC. “When students go up to the registers, they will press ‘checkout as a member’ and use the card provided as if it were a debt or credit card,” George said.
If a student is looking to grab breakfast to eat at home over the weekend, they can stop by the Archer’s market and pick up cereal or granola bars to take home. Meramec also offers free snacks in mini food pantries around campus for students to grab if they are in a rush and need a quick bite. The Meramec cafe is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and is closed on weekends.
