If any of Kevin Brocious’ friends need money, he’s got them covered. With less than three weeks left in the semester, Brocious has just more than 150 dining dollars left on his student account.

The freshman accounting major rarely went to the Union to dine last semester, so he came into the spring semester with 100 additional dining dollars.

“I just haven’t had time to use them,” he said.

Eastern’s meal plan includes both meal swipes and dining dollars. Meal swipes start over each week, while dining dollars last all semester. Any unused dining dollars from the fall semester roll over to spring. But unused dining dollars from the spring do not roll over.

Dining dollars only roll over from fall to spring because it is the same academic year and budget, said Jody Horn, director of University Dining.

Eastern used to offer a meal plan that just had swipes, Horn said. The plan was upgraded to include a bonus swipe.

“Eventually we split the meal plans into swipes and dining dollars,” she said.

The dining dollars allow flexibility because meal swipes can only be used in the dining centers. Dining dollars can be used in residence hall dining centers, university food court, convenience stores and Java Beanery and Bakery, Horn said.

Students can also pay for guests with their dining dollars, adding to the flexibility of the plan, she said.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has a different plan. Students sign up for a meal plan, choosing between $1,250 or $1,730 for the semester. SIUE has a 60-40 meal plan, meaning 60 percent of that covers the operation cost of dining services, including cost of labor, supplies, maintenance and utilities. The other 40 percent goes towards the actual retail cost of the food.

SIUE already pulls 60 percent off the cost, said Christy McDougal, accountant for SIUE dining. For example, if a student wants a hamburger that costs $5, that student will only pay $2, she said.

On top of that, whatever money is not used at the end of the school year is reimbursed to the student.

“It’s kind of the best of both worlds,” McDougal said.

It seems, for the most part, that students like the program, she said.

Western Illinois University in Macomb has a choice of three dining plans, but no fixed meal plan with swipes, said Jack Schoonover, Western’s director of residential administration.

Each student purchases a meal plan. They pay a charge called “board.” Approximately 50 percent of the board charge is taken off the top cost to pay for fixed costs, like salaries, dining furniture, equipment and utilities. The remaining money is for the student to use for food.

At the end of the year, students can request a refund check for the leftover money on their account.

If a student has a fee or bill that needs to be paid before the end of the year, the money left over on their card can go toward paying that balance, Schoonover said.

Western students have a different plan for vending machines and laundry facilities.

Eastern does not have a refundable plan. For that to happen, meal plans would have to be more retail-based, Horn said.

“Our plans are based on the fact that we have somewhat of a missed meal factor,” she said.

That serves as a cushion, Horn said.

“We know not everyone eats everything,” she said. “We are able to offer a lot of choices and variety because we know we have some padding. If we refunded everything that wasn’t specifically used, we would be much more limited (with food selection).”

If that were the case, dining services would have to charge more for everything offered, she said.

Still, using all extra dining dollars is sometimes a problem for students.

A few weeks ago, a female student came into the Thomas Convenience Store with more than $200 dining dollars, said Kelly Dalfino, a sophomore psychology major and Thomas Convenience store worker.

The student literally bout a few of everything, and still had $73 left over, Dalfino said.

Most people know they have lots of dining dollars left by this point, said Alyson Schroeder, a junior elementary education major and Taylor Dining Services employee.

Schroeder recommends treating friends to dinner to get rid of dining dollars without wasting them.

She also said to not eat in the dining centers to use up dining dollars, especially if students already have a meal plan.

Horn recommends shopping at the convenience stores or food court and stocking up on food to take home, like a soft drink case.

“You could also purchase gift certificates for one of your friends who is graduating,” Horn said.