Meal Plan Accommodation Procedure

The College of Charleston requires that all first-year students living on campus purchase a meal plan to ensure they have easy access to an adequate food supply during this period of acclimation. Meal plan exemptions are rare, as the College of Charleston prefers to accommodate students with options that meet their nutrition requirements so that they can continue to participate in the social experience of eating with peers. Meal plan accommodation decisions are made based on documented health conditions that require special diets for which the Charleston Culinary Group is unable to accommodate.

If you have dietary restrictions for which the Charleston Culinary Group is unable to accommodate, please read this Meal Plan Accommodation Procedure and submit the required documents (Request Form and Provider Statement) to the Charleston Culinary Group.

1. Accommodations

     a. It is preferred that accommodations for individuals with dietary restrictions related to chronic illness or food allergies be requested prior to the beginning of each academic semester.

     b. The individual is required to first meet with the Registered Dietitian (RD) of the Charleston Culinary Group to determine accommodations already in place, or to create a plan of action that will help the individual dine more comfortably on campus.

    c. Accommodations are based on the individual’s medical documentation and individual needs.

     d. A request for accommodations does not ensure that the individual will be exempted from the meal plan.

2. Documentation

     a. If the individual’s needs are not met after meeting with the RD, the following documents are required to be completed and submitted to the Charleston Culinary Group:

          i. Request Form

          ii. Physician/Provider Statement for Meal Plan Accommodation

                  - Must be typed and signed by a Physician or other qualified health professional.

     b. A Physician/Provider Statement for Meal Plan Accommodation that does not contain both a diagnosis and a specific dietary restriction is incomplete. Individuals may be asked to resubmit appropriate documentation.

3. Review Process

     a. Dining management and the Center for Disability Services will thoroughly review the documentation to determine what additional accommodations can be made.

     b. The RD will confirm if the accommodations are appropriate for the individual’s diagnosis and related dietary restriction.

          i. A licensed RD can prescribe a therapeutic diet based on a medical diagnosis and provide ongoing counseling or medical nutrition therapy to ensure that the individual is having a successful dining experience.

          ii. Beyond the initial request, the role of the RD is to make sure that the accommodation is being fulfilled as promised by dining management.

     c. Once a decision is made as to whether or not the individual’s dietary restriction can be accommodated for, the accommodation request will be sent to the director of Campus Services, and the individual will be notified via email.

          i. If reasonable accommodations are feasible, the individual will be asked to meet with appropriate dining management in person to review the proposed accommodations.

          ii. If reasonable accommodations are not feasible, the request will be sent to the Director of Campus Services and Disability Services for the final exemption decision.

               - If exempted, the individual will be notified by dining management via email.

The meal plan review process can take up to two weeks from the date all documentation is received and the meeting with the RD is complete.