There was quite a ruckus this past Wednesday when students entered the Office of Student Activities complaining that they had been denied a free fountain drink refill at lunch. Through a boisterous Facebook and Twitter campaign, students voiced their concern over the issue and UNH Dining Services quickly responded, cutting fountain beverage drinks by 10 cents.

When alerted of the news, The Charger Bulletin took to Facebook to see if any other students had a similar experience. Two students were told by a Sodexo employee that as of the previous Thursday, they would have to turn away anyone seeking a free refill.

Calls to Dining Services were immediately returned, and Bulletin staff was informed that free fountain beverage refills were only allowed during board meals and the unchanged policy states that they had never been offered during lunch, the rule had just become enforced more strictly this past week.

USGA Treasurer Timothy Farmer examined other beverage options and discovered that the larger 20oz soda was priced at $1.84, five cents cheaper than the 16oz fountain beverage. He tweeted this news to @UNH_Dining at 2:46 p.m., asking if they were planning to lower the price.

Only minutes later at 3:08 p.m., UNH Sodexo dining announced that they would lower the price of the fountain beverage 10 cents, tweeting: “Price of fountain beverages are at The Marketplace only are now $1.79…the new price is affective [sic] right now.”

The Marketplace experienced more trouble later that evening when mice invaded The Marketplace’s dining hall. The sudden, severe change in weather caused mice to seek shelter indoors as is common for this time of year. Exterminators were immediately called and the situation was under control within a couple of hours.

Students with comments or concerns regarding UNH Dining Services are encouraged to contact the USGA Food Committee at [email protected] to speak with a student liaison.