Dietary & Meal Plan - OARS Accommodation

Owned by Liz Burd
Last updated: Aug 16, 2023
2 min read

Food Allergies and Meal Plans at Bethel 

The Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS) and Sodexo staff partner to determine reasonable accommodations to meet each student's unique dietary needs. Our goal is for Bethel students to have access to safe, nutritious, and tasteful options in all our food service locations on campus.

Bethel’s dining center offers freshly prepared foods, created by professional chefs and bakers. Each station offers options for students with food allergies to ensure all students enjoy a safe and delicious meal. Sodexo works diligently to meet the needs of students and to establish trust in the way the food is prepared.

At Bethel, meal plans are pre-assigned based on student housing. All students in Residence Halls except North Waters and North Woods are required to have a Meal Plan. As students navigate their college experience and dietary restrictions, many students take their housing into consideration as it impacts their meal plan options. Students living in North Waters and North Woods are not required to have a meal plan because they have access to their own kitchen to prepare meals.

Process for Dietary Accommodation

  1. Register with OARS by submitting the following items:
    1. Documentation of diagnosis, dietary needs and rationale from a licensed provider based on the following guidelines.
    2. Complete the OARS online application
    3. Complete the Dietary Accommodation Registration Form
  2. Students will meet with Sodexo Dietitian and OARS Accommodation Coordinator to discuss dietary needs, available options and reasonable accommodations. If the student’s dietary needs can be met, the Dietitian will coordinate the next steps for students to begin receiving accommodations. 

Process for Meal Plan Accommodation  

After an approved dietary accommodations, if the student feels their needs are not being met, they can choose to request a meal plan outside of their pre-assigned option. 

  1. Students will meet with Sodexo's Dietitian and OARS Accommodations Coordinator to discuss current accommodations and opportunities for adjustments.
  2. After the discussion, if the student chooses to request a meal plan outside of their pre-assigned option, the request will be sent to the Meal Plan Committee to be reviewed. 
  3. Students will be informed via email of the Meal Plan Committee’s decision. 
    1.  If the committee approves a meal plan accommodation, and the student accepts it, then OARS will communicate with the Residence Life to update the student’s account. 
    2. If the student’s request is not approved, the student may appeal the Meal Plan Committee decision. The appeal process includes submitting a letter of appeal written by the student and submitting any additional medical documentation from a licensed provider (Please also see Documentation Checklist for details)

Process for Renewal of Dietary and/or Meal Plan Accommodations  

Continuation of dietary and/or meal accommodations are not guaranteed. To ensure student’s dietary needs are met, we require an annual check-in with OARS to continue accommodations.