Natasha Fulcher-Green walks to Grinnell Hall in Brush Towers every Saturday and Sunday morning with her friends to have breakfast.

But beginning next semester, she and her friends will have to walk to Trueblood Hall in University Park.

The shifting of Grinnell’s breakfast schedule is part of the meal plan changes being implemented by University Housing in the spring. The other changes include new hours of operation for Trueblood and Grinnell halls, new menu items in Grinnell, the elimination of the Saluki Grill and the additions of a coffee house in Trueblood and a pizza place in Grinnell.

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Some of the changes are making some SIUC students like Fulcher-Green unhappy. However, some SIUC students do not mind the changes.

It’s inconvenient. I don’t want to walk to Trueblood to get breakfast over the weekends, Fulcher-Green, a freshman from Chicago in electrical engineering, said. I like it the way it is. It was that way when I get here. I grew accustomed to it.

The new changes are a result of a vote conducted the week of Nov. 17 outside each cafeteria by the Undergraduate Student Government and Residential Housing Area. The vote was open to all students. Three meal plans were open to a student vote.

Chris Schoonover, housing commissioner for the USG, said the Saluki Grill will be replaced by a coffeehouse because too many students fill up the Saluki Grill after hours, creating a safety hazard.

There were just too many people using the Grill, Schoonover said. We wanted to make sure that everyone had the same options with a few new features.

The Saluki Grill is located in the bottom of Trueblood Hall with a grab-and-go style of menu. The grill is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. The coffeehouse will be located in the same place.

The coffee house will begin operation Jan. 20, and will serve cappuccinos, lattes and assorted pastries from noon to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and noon to 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

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Students will be able to use cash or their declining balance for the coffeehouse.

A declining balance allows students at the beginning of the semester to opt for a lower number of meals so they can receive $52 in credit. The credit can be used at the pizza place, coffeehouse or fast food venues in the Student Center.

A new feature in Grinnell Hall will be a pizza place, which will be open from 6 p.m. to midnight every night, serving slices and 14-inch pizzas with a choice of toppings. Students will be able to use cash or their declining balance at the pizza place.

Grinnell’s hours will change to 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 5 p.m. to midnight Mondays through Thursdays, serving a regular menu. From 6:30 p.m. to midnight, Grinnell will feature a grab-and-go style of menu, serving deli-style sandwiches, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken strips, fries and a specialty sandwich of the day.

In Trueblood, the cafeteria will be open from 7 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and on the weekends from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Elizabeth Scally, coordinator of marketing for University Housing, said students have until Jan. 23 to change their meal plans to adapt to the new changes.

Students can opt for 12 meals a week, and for every meal they do not use, they receive $1.50 back. The money is refunded at the end of each semester. Another meal plan allows students to get 15 meals per week with a $52 credit for the pizza place, fast food venues in the Student Center and the coffeehouse. A student can also purchase 19 meals per week with no added bonus.

[The meal plans] will stay the same. If students want to change plans, they can, Scally said. The changes are to meet customer satisfaction and demand. Students wanted late-night options and a wider variety of menu items. We feel that these changes will meet their needs.

Bill Connors, head chef for Residence Hall, said the 160 students employed at the cafeterias do not have to worry about losing their jobs when this new plan is implemented.

We are hoping that the students (working in the Saluki Grill) will be willing to move to the regular cafeterias to adjust to the change, he said. We are not counting on any addition to our student labor budget.

Connors also said that the new changes will not cost the cafeteria any money, and the pizza place and the coffeehouse should pay for themselves.

Rob Murphy, a junior in history education from Chatham, said that although he did not vote, he is remaining in a neutral position to give the new plan a chance.

I walk to the Grill, so it won’t kill me to do it on Saturday and Sunday for breakfast, he said. I also figure that I already have a declining balance, and I’ll be more prone to use it next semester [at the pizza place]. This change was needed for what the students wanted now.