Mason Money

I. Overview

All George Mason students are eligible to purchase a meal plan. Regardless of student housing status, either on or off campus, all meal plans are purchased and billed automatically for the entire academic year. Students are billed for the same meal plan in the spring semester as they purchased or enrolled in for the fall semester. Meal plan pricing is approved by the Board of Visitors. The student accepts the terms and conditions of the meal plan upon submission of meal plan form, initial payment, or processing charges. Any form of acceptance binds the student to the meal plan terms and conditions.

a. On Campus Residents

• • • All freshmen and sophomores residing on campus who lack a full kitchen in their living unit (traditional and suite type units) are required to purchase an Independence Plan.
    • All other residents living on campus without a full kitchen in their living unit (traditional and suite type units) are required to purchase either an Independence Plan or Liberty Plan.
    • All freshmen living on campus in apartments or townhouses are required to purchase an Independence Plan. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors living in in apartments or townhouses are not required to purchase a meal plan but are eligible to purchase any meal plan option.

b. Off Campus Students

• • • Students who reside off campus are eligible to purchase any meal plan option.

II. Meal Plans

George Mason offers four (4) categories of meal plans for students. Additionally, George Mason offers meal plans specific to the Smithsonian–Mason School of Conservation and Residential Advisors. Students residing in Beacon Hall on the SciTech campus are able to purchase any of the meal plans.

a. Independence Plan

• • • Independence Plan allows unlimited swipe access to residential dining halls and one (1) meal exchange swipe per day at The Eaterie, excluding breaks periods.
    • Includes three (3) guest meal swipe per semester (meal plan holder must accompany the guests).
    • Independence Plan holders can use two (2) swipes per day at both the Sci-Tech and Mason Square campuses. There is a 30 minute delay between swipes at Sci-Tech and Mason Square locations.
    • Independence plans come with Dining Dollar funds of $100│$200│$350│$500. ($100 is the minimum required).
    • Independence 100 is the default dining plan if a student does not select a meal plan.
    • Dining Dollar funds will roll over from the fall semester to the spring semester. The Dining Dollar funds will expire at the end of the spring semester (the Saturday following spring commencement).
    • Dining Dollar funds are not refundable at the end of the fall nor spring semesters.
    • Students participating in the Independence Plan can purchase additional Dining Dollars in one of the following amounts $100│$200│$350│$500. ($100 is the minimum required).
    • Independence Extended Plan includes all terms defined for the Independence Plan and allows access to a residential dining hall during Thanksgiving Break and Spring Break.
    • Independence Ultimate Plan includes all terms defined for the Independence Plan and allows access to a residential dining hall during Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break.
    • INTO Independence Plans are only available to students enrolled in the INTO program. The INTO Plan includes all terms defined for the Independence Plan. These plans come with $100 in Dining Dollars and are active during Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break. Includes three (3) guest meal swipe per semester (meal plan holder must accompany the guests). INTO Plans are billed through the George Mason University INTO Program.
    • All Independence meal plans are programmed with a 30-minute break between meal swipes. Students cannot swipe to gain access to the resident dining halls within the 30-minute window.
    • Regardless of student housing status, either on or off campus, all Independence meal plans (Independence, Independence Extended, Independence Ultimate, and INTO Independence) are purchased and billed automatically for the entire academic year. Students are billed for the same meal plan in the spring semester as they purchased or enrolled in for the fall semester.

b. Liberty Plan – (Liberty 9 and Liberty 14 weekly plans)

• • • Liberty Plans allows swipe access to resident dining halls with a set number of swipes per week (Liberty 9 – 9 entries per week; Liberty 14 – 14 entries per week), excluding break periods.
    • Liberty Plans can utilize one (1) meal swipe per day at The Eaterie as a meal exchange.
    • Liberty meal swipes reset each week at 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays.
    • Liberty Plans also include a set amount of Dining Dollar funds that are determined by the Board of Visitors.
    • Dining Dollar funds will roll over from the fall semester to the spring semester. The Dining Dollar funds will expire at the end of the spring semester (Saturday following spring commencement).
    • Dining Dollar funds are not refundable at the end of the fall nor spring semester.
    • Students participating in the Liberty Plan can purchase additional Dining Dollars in one of the following amounts $100│$200│$350│$500. ($100 is the minimum required).
    • Liberty Plan holders can use two (2) swipes per day at both the Sci-Tech and Mason Square campuses with no 30-minute delay.
    • Regardless of student housing status, either on or off campus, all Liberty meal plans (Liberty 9 and Liberty 14) are purchased and billed automatically for the entire academic year. Students are billed for the same meal plan in the spring semester as they purchased or enrolled in for the fall semester.

c. Patriot Plan – (Patriot 25, Patriot 55, and Patriot 85)

• • • Patriot Plans allow limited swipe access to residential dining halls per semester. (Patriot 25 – 25 entries per semester, Patriot 55 – 55 entries per semester, and Patriot 85 – 85 entries per semester), excluding break periods.
    • Patriot Plans can utilize one (1) meal swipe per day at The Eaterie as a meal exchange.
    • Patriot plans come with Dining Dollar funds of $100│$200│$350│$500. ($100 is the minimum required).
    • Dining Dollar funds will roll over from the fall semester to the spring semester. The Dining Dollar funds will expire at the end of the spring semester (Saturday following spring commencement).
    • Dining Dollar funds are not refundable at the end of the fall nor spring semester.
    • Students participating in the Patriot Plans can purchase additional Dining Dollars in one of the following amounts $100│$200│$350│$500.
    • Unused swipes for the fall semester expire at the end of the fall semester (last day of fall finals) and unused swipes for the spring semester expire at the end of the spring semester (last day of spring finals). Fall meal swipes will not carry over to the spring semester and meal swipes are not refundable at the end of the fall nor spring semester.
    • Patriot Plan holders can use two (2) swipes per day at both the Sci-Tech and Mason Square campuses with no 30-minute delay.
    • Regardless of student housing status, either on or off campus, all Patriot meal plans (Patriot 25, Patriot 55, and Patriot 85) are purchased and billed automatically for the entire academic year. Students are billed for the same meal plan in the spring semester as they purchased or enrolled in for the fall semester.

d. Dining Dollar Fund Plans – declining balance plans that can be used at all dining locations on campus.

• • • Dining Dollar plans offer dollar-for-dollar tax-exempt purchasing in all dining venues.
    • Dining Dollar plans offer students a $2.00 discount off the door price at all four (4) all-you-care-to-eat dining halls: Southside, Ike’s, The Globe, and The Spot.
    • Dining Dollar funds can be purchased by the following increments: $350│$500│$750│$1,000│$1,500│$2,000.
    • Dining Dollar funds will roll over from the fall semester to the spring semester. The Dining Dollar funds will expire at the end of the spring semester (Saturday following spring commencement).
    • Dining Dollar funds are not refundable at the end of the fall nor spring semester.
    • Regardless of student housing status, either on or off campus, all Dining Dollar Fund ($350│$500│$750│$1,000│$1,500│$2,000) meal plans are purchased and billed automatically for the entire academic year. Students are billed for the same meal plan in the spring semester as they purchased or enrolled in for the fall semester.

e. SMSC Weekly 19 Plan – Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation requires students to purchase the SMSC 19 weekly meal plan. This plan is exclusive to the SMSC campus and can only be used at the SMSC dining facility.

• • • SMSC Weekly 19 Meal Plans meal swipes reset each week at 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays.
    • SMSC Weekly 19 Meal Plans does not require a minimum amount of Dining Dollars.
    • Fall and spring semester access to the SMSC Dining Hall begins the Sunday prior to the first day of classes and ends the Friday prior to commencement.
    • Includes three (3) guest meal swipe per semester (meal plan holder must accompany the guests).
    • Students who will be taking classes at the SMSC campus in the spring semester will not be enrolled in the meal plan they participated in during the fall semester and will be enrolled in the SMSC Weekly 19 Plan.
    • Dining Dollar funds will roll over from the fall semester to the spring semester. The Dining Dollar funds will expire at the end of the spring semester (Saturday following spring commencement).

f. Live-in Student Staff Meal Plan

• • • Live-in Student Staff (includes, but is not limited to -Learning Community Resident Assistants, Resident Assistants, and Townhouse Assistants) are required to purchase either an Independence Plan or Liberty 14 Plan as part of the Live-In Student Staff contract, regardless of housing assignment. All terms and conditions listed for the standard Independence Plan or Liberty 14 Plan apply to the Live-in student staff Meal Plan.

III. Billing, Cancellation, and Refund

1. 1. All meal plans are billed for the entire academic year. Billing occurs both for the fall and spring semesters.
   2. All meals plans are billed to the student account through the Mason Card Office. For students living on campus, meal plans are assigned or selected (determined by class level and housing assignment) during the housing application process. For students residing off campus, meal plans can be purchased through the Online Card Office website. Meal plans are accessible via the student ID (either physical card ID or Mason Mobile ID).
   3. Students may upgrade an Independence (including Extended and Ultimate), Liberty (9 and 14), and Patriot at any time during the semester. Upgraded meal plans will be billed on a prorated basis upon the time of the request (for Independence and Liberty) or per usage (Patriot). Upgrades are submitted through the Online Card Office website.
   4. Students may purchase additional Dining Dollars in increments of $100│$200│$350│$500 at any time during the semester.
   5. Students who wish to downgrade their meal plan can request a change by logging into the Online Mason Card Office. Requests to downgrade a meal plan are only accepted through the Online Mason Card Office Portal and must be submitted during the first 10 business days of the semester.
   6. Students cannot cancel their meal plans during the fall nor the spring semester unless they meet one of the following criteria:
      • December Graduation
      • Study abroad
      • Academic Internship that requires student to be off campus for a minimum of three days a week.
      • Moving from on campus housing that requires a meal plan to on campus housing that does not require a meal plan.
      • Moving from on campus housing to off campus housing
      • Withdrawal/Expulsion from the University
   7. Students can view their meal plan account balances and transaction history by logging on to the Online Mason Card Office, navigating to “Accounts” and proceed to “Balances and Recent Transactions.”
   8. If a student meets the criteria for cancelling a meal plan they may request a refund. A request for a meal plan refund must be completed by one of the following processes:
      • Submitting an email to the Mason Card Office – [email protected]
      • Completing information form at Mason Card Office Website.
      • Submitting an email through the Mason Meal Plan Portal.
      • Requesting in person at the Mason Card Office (SUB I, Fairfax Campus).
   9. If a refund is approved, the refund will be processed on a prorated basis:
      • Independence (including Extended, Ultimate, and INTO), Liberty, and SMSC Plans are prorated per day through the last day of access.
      • Patriot Plans are prorated by swipes that have been used.
      • Dining Dollar Fund Plans are prorated dollar-for-dollar, by usage.

IV. Access to Dining

1. 1. Meal swipe access and Dining Dollars are accessible via the student ID (either physical card or Mason Mobile ID). The student ID and meal plan cannot be transferred or used by another individual.
   2. Dining Dollar funds
      1. Mason Dining offers a summer semester Dining Dollar Fund Plan in the amounts of $350 or $500. This plan is active the Sunday prior to the first day of summer classes and continues through the day of degree conferral for summer semester. Any Dining Dollar balance remaining at the end of the summer semester are not refundable but will become Summer Roll Over to access in the fall semester. All summer semester rollover Dining Dollars are accessible after fall Dining Dollars have been utilized.
      2. Fall Semester Dining Dollars are active the Sunday prior to move in for fall semester and remain accessible during Thanksgiving break and winter break at a residential dining hall. Dining Dollars remain active until December 31. On January 1 any remaining fall semester Dining Dollar balance will transition to Roll Over Dining Dollars for the spring semester. All fall semester rollover Dining Dollars are accessible after spring Dining Dollars have been utilized.
      3. Spring Semester Dining Dollars – Roll Over Dining Dollars are active beginning January 1 following the end of the fall semester. Spring semester Dining Dollars are active the Sunday prior to move in for spring semester. Dining Dollars will remain accessible during Spring Break at a residential dining hall and any retail locations operating during spring break. Dining Dollars will remain active until the end of the spring semester (Saturday following spring commencement). All spring semester Dining Dollars and Roll Over Dining Dollars will expire at the end of the spring semester and are not refundable.
   3. Meal Swipes
      1. Fall semester meal swipe access for dining halls begins with freshman move in, the Wednesday prior to fall classes beginning. Meal Swipe access ends on the last day of finals.
      2. The Globe is the only dining hall that will operate during Thanksgiving, winter, and spring breaks. Students with an Independence Extended, Independence Ultimate, or INTO Plan can use meal swipes to access The Globe during Thanksgiving break and spring break. Students with an Independence Ultimate Plan or INTO Plan can use meal swipes to access The Globe during winter break in addition to Thanksgiving break and spring break. Students can also use Dining Dollars and pay the door price to access The Globe during breaks.
      3. Spring semester meal swipe access begins the Friday prior to spring semester classes beginning and meal swipe access ends on the last day of finals.
   4. Disclaimer: George Mason University reserves the right to close campus dining locations and/or adjust hours of operation as necessary in George Mason’s sole discretion as business conditions require and/or to preserve the health and safety of students and the campus community.

V. Additional Terms and Conditions Information

1. 1. Meal Plan Rates – Meal plan rates are approved each year by the Board of Visitors. Student’s will be charged the applicable meal plan rate set by the Board of Visitors for the period of their meal plan. The most current meal plan rates can be found on the Mason Dining website at Mason Dining meal plan options.
   2. Meal Plan Access – access to dining locations follows specific dates as outlined by the academic calendar. The Mason Dining website displays operational hours for all campus dining locations. The Important Dates web page lists the start and stop dates for all meal plans for the academic year. Additional information can be found by visiting Mason Dining important dates.

VI. Meal Plan Accommodations and Exemptions

1. 1. All requests for meal plan accommodation and exemptions due to dietary or medical concerns are managed by the George Mason University Office of Disability Services. Students can review the process on their website; Meal Plan Accommodations.

For questions or comments regarding meal plans, you may submit comments through the Mason Card Office’s “Contact Us” form.

The Mason Card Office can be contacted via email [email protected], phone 703-993-1004 or during office hours at the in the Student Union Building (SUB) I, Suite 1203 on the Fairfax Campus.

You must comply with all terms and conditions as applicable to your meal plan.

I acknowledge, understand, and agree that I am participating in a meal plan for the entire academic year. Regardless of my housing status, either on or off campus, I agree that the meal plan I select will be purchased and billed for the entire academic year. Billing occurs both for the fall and spring semesters. I agree to pay the meal plan contract rates and abide by the terms and conditions outlined above.