The Unload Your Dining Dollars event on Wednesday in Eastway had a large turnout, with many students heading downstairs to find tables.

Unload Your Dining Dollars aimed for students to attend Eastway to “unload” their extra meal plan with food that usually isn’t offered on a daily basis.

By the end of the semester, whatever students don’t spend in their meal plan goes back to the university. Students were urged at this event to buy food and to go back for seconds in order to dwindle the money in their accounts.

At the event, food was constantly being replaced, and the donut wall was treated as a meal instead of dessert.

Freshman Lauren Gentile, a fashion merchandising major, explained that she felt the event was needed but should’ve been planned better throughout the semester.

“I feel like if this was a weekly event, that would help students spend their meal plan a little differently throughout the semester, rather than waiting until the last week of the school,” Gentile said. “Then I feel a lot more people would come to Eastway more, because I feel like people mostly go to The HUB, and I’m never Eastway unless there is an event going on like this.”

This thought was also encouraged when freshman Ally Franks, a fashion merchandising major, brought up the quality of food at Eastway for the event.

“I know people will spend more money for better food, so if people can see that the food is good, they’re not going to care how much it costs,” said Franks. “I know for next year they are doing swipes, I feel that this would be an awesome event because we could get so much food just for one swipe.”

When asked about the food at the Eastway event, the quality of the food was a recurring topic that students brought up.

“I think the food is decent at Eastway, but just so overpriced,” said Alison Hughes, a freshman speech pathology major. “Tonight, the quality of the food was worth the price that I paid, when on a daily basis it really isn’t.”

Emily Hepner, a freshman business management major, said the prices and quality from the event on Wednesday weren’t comparable to the food Eastway has on a daily basis.

“I would rather spend my meal plan on a lot of cheap food rather than be hungry until my next meal because the prices are so high and not worth the quality,” Hepner said. “If they had high quality food at a high price I wouldn’t care; good food is worth the price to pay.”

When asked to comment on the food quality in Eastway, dining services denied commenting on the matter.

Overall, many students enjoyed the event and praised Kent State Dining Services for the quality in food compared to other universities.

“From what my friends at other schools have told me is that our dining halls and food options are way better than other places, with the only exception being that our prices are higher for things that usually aren’t,” Hepner said.  “I mean we are blessed with what we have, but I am paying for my food so usually I know what is going to suit my budget, and how the food will taste and fill me up.”

Francesca Barrett is the student finance reporter. Contact her at [email protected].